Dark Side of the Moon
by Nicollette Knight
Summary: Revenge is sweet. But no one tells you what happens once you attain it. This is Kelli's story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own the Twilight universe nor any of the Cullens or Denali clan with the exception of Jesse Macgillivray. The rest of the characters are my own creation. I hope you enjoy this!**

**Prologue**

What do you do when your driving goal, the thing you've worked for to the exclusion of everything else, is gone? How do you pick up the pieces and move on? Revenge is sweet, but they never tell you how you feel after you've taken it.

**Chapter One**

It was a strange feeling. She had spent nearly a century keeping tabs on one person. Plotting. Planning. Revising. When Amanda had contacted _her_ she knew that the time was finally right. Amanda was no longer looking over her shoulder, wondering if retribution was about to find her. Had she really been that stupid? Maybe it had just been the fact she was slowly descending into madness. In the end it hadn't mattered. The beautiful sound of her teeth on Amanda's neck had been worth every day of the wait.

Kelli Masterson stood in front of the mirror in a small bathroom in a cheap motel. Images of the fight still floated in front of her eyes, as if she were dreaming while awake. She shook herself both mentally and physically to rid herself of the unwanted memories. It had been three weeks since she had torn Amanda's head off, and she wasn't ready to admit to herself that she had nothing left to live for.

Pushing away from the sink, she stalked out of the room and quickly dressed. The jeans were black and emphasized her long, long legs. A light blue cashmere sweater was soft against the marble of her skin. She pulled on a pair of Converse low top sneakers to complete the look. Her honey gold hair fell in soft waves about her shoulders and half way down her back. Slipping on a pair of dark glasses that covered half her face, she took a look in the mirror and nodded to herself.

Kelli quickly gathered the rest of her things and tossed them into her carry all. Grabbing her car keys, she left the room key on the desk and headed out into the cloudy day. She was in Spokane, Washington. The truth was, she didn't feel like going back to her apartment in Binghamton, New York. As nice as it was to be able to move about the city during the day, the clouds were not something she was looking forward to going back to.

Throwing her bag in the back and tossing her phone on the passenger seat, she got behind the wheel of her 1970 Barracuda. When she had bought it, it was in terrible shape, and Kelli had spent hours restoring it to it's original beauty. She glanced at the phone, and decided against making the call. Jade could wait. Never mind that she had been calling constantly since before Kelli had killed Amanda.

Putting the car in gear and pulling out, she smiled as she listened to the rumble of the engine. While restoring the car, she had made a few upgrades, of course. The engine she had chosen was powerful, and made a wonderful purring as she drove. When she was out of the state of Washington, she finally picked up the phone and dialed the number from memory.

Jade picked up immediately. "Kelli, where the hell have you been for the last month?! You haven't answered my phone calls, my text messages, nothing! I thought Amanda figured you out, and killed you."

Kelli sighed. Jade was young, and she had to remember to practice patience sometimes. "Jade, I'm fine. Amanda is dead. Life will go on. I called to let you know that I'm fine, I'm alive, and I'm not coming home."

"Wait, what? You're not coming home? Have you lost your bloody mind?" Jade exclaimed, and Kelli had to pull the phone away from her ear.

"Look, Jade, I have some things I have to take care of. Be on the lookout, I'm not sure the fallout from this won't come after you. Once Chelsea gets wind of what happened to her sister, I'm sure she's going to come after me with a vengeance, and that could include killing one of mine."

Jade was Kelli's... well she didn't know exactly what. Sister she supposed, though they weren't blood related. Not like Jessica had been. Kelli had met Jade about twenty years ago, and they had bonded over their losses. Jade had lost a sister as well, though not in quite the same way. Jade had been bitten by a vampire, mauled really. She still hadn't been able to figure out why the vampire didn't finish her. Jade's sister had found her, and somehow dragged her home. She had watched as her sister transformed, screaming in pain. And when Jade awoke into her new life, she had smelled the sweetest blood, and drank it.

It had been about a year later when Kelli had run into her, feeding very publicly. For some reason, Kelli hadn't killed her when Jade attacked, and the two had become like sisters. Kelli had explained the secret to her, making her understand why she had to stay out of sight when feeding and when it was sunny out.

"Kelli, are you still there?" Jade asked.

Mentally shaking herself again, Kelli cursed herself. "Yes, I'm still here, sorry. Just, stay on alert. I'm heading south. I need beaches and sunshine to kill this dark mood."

Kelli could almost hear the frown in Jade's voice. "Kelli...."

"I'll find a country place to rent, some place with no neighbors for miles, and a nice pool," she replied.

"Whatever. Take care, and stay in touch." Jade pleaded.

"Yeah, yeah, I will. You be careful. Talk to you soon," Kelli hung up before Jade could reply.

Turning her attention back to the road ahead, she put the pedal down. Florida sounded like a great place to set up shop.

~***~

Driving cross country was always a chore. Even when you drove way over the speed limit, and avoided the cops like the plague it was tedious. And it was made worse for Kelli because the only companion she had was her thoughts.

_What are you going to do with your life now, Kelli? Your whole reason for living has been eliminated. You saved the day, and the other girl got the guy. They rode off into the sunset. Where does that leave you?_

_Kelli tried to ignore the voice in her head saying these things. She turned the stereo on, turning up the music to ear drum shattering. She sang along with the songs that came on. But still, that voice was nagging her._

_You really think running away by yourself is going to cure these dark moods of yours? At least if you had Jade with you, she could keep you from destroying yourself._

She pulled the car over after that particular thought. She was somewhere in the middle of the country. Texas maybe. She wasn't sure. Parking at a convenience store, she decided to go hunting. That should satiate her hunger and her mind.

Letting her senses take over, she stalked her prey. The man was ridiculously easy to track. Seeing a woman behind him, the fool didn't even have the decency to be alarmed. When he crossed the opening to a dark alley, she was on him, yanking him into the shadows and throwing him against the wall before sinking her teeth into his neck.

When she had finished with her meal, she left him in a dumpster and walked, human paced, back to her car. The unhelpful thoughts were being kept at bay at the moment by the purring of the satiated beast. Sliding into the drivers seat of her car, she started the engine and pulled out. Getting back on the highway, she turned on the radio again, leaned back in the seat, and let the pounding rock beats guide the car. By morning she would be in Florida.

She would have to find a place to stay out of the sun until twilight. Once the shadows lengthened, she would be able to set up in a motel, and coordinate a plan to find a place in the country. A place she could be herself, and not worry about discovery. Maybe she would take up online classes. She really would like to work in a garage, but if she wanted to stay in Florida, that was probably out of the question.

Right now, her life was uncertain. She hoped that soon, a new path would be illuminated for her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Kelli rolled over on the bed in the bedroom she had chosen for herself in this little country cottage. Her hair hung over the edge, and she stared at the ceiling. She had found this place quite by accident. As the darkness had started to settle around this small town, Kelli had went in search of a newspaper. Instead, she had come across a couple talking about how they needed to rent out or sell their cottage in the country.

Slipping her dark shades on, she had approached cautiously and introduced herself. She learned that Mary-Dean and Brian were young newlyweds who had inherited the cottage. The problem was that Brian was looking to go into the military, and they were planning a move to Pensacola for him to do that. Mary-Dean, the perfect southern belle, had offered to show Kelli the cottage right then and there if she had time when she found out that Kelli was in the market for a house.

Kelli had accepted and when she had seen the place, she liked it immediately. It had a certain southern charm. Asking Mary-Dean about a lease, she had offered to pay for six months rent up front if they would waive a year lease.

And now, here she was, staring at the ceiling, wondering what the hell she was doing here. It had been a week, and she'd refused Jade's calls again. Picking up long enough to say hello so that Jade knew she was alive, she would hang up before the other woman could speak. She knew it was unfair to Jade, and that it wasn't her fault. All Jade had ever cared about was if Kelli was okay.

Closing her eyes, she groaned out loud to the silent house. She had thought sunshine and warm weather would cheer her up. Instead, she had found herself sinking deeper into a despair she hadn't even known could exist. Not even when Jessica had died had she felt this low. She hadn't hunted, and she knew she was getting dangerously close to not being able to control herself when the time arose.

Pushing herself up onto her elbows, and then to a standing position, Kelli knew that it was time to stop wallowing in her depression and do something. She glanced out the window, and noting it was dark, grabbed her things and made her way to her car. First she would eat, then she would call Jade, and they would decide what was the best course of action.

~***~

Sitting in front of the picture window that overlooked the woods beyond, Kelli stared at her phone before dialing Jade's number.

"Kelli, I swear to god, I'm going to kill you," were the first words out of Jade's mouth.

"Jadey, I'm sorry. I just can't shake this feeling. I destroyed Amanda, and with it, my entire world came crumbling down around me. What do I do?" Kelli asked.

Jade sighed. "I don't know," she said gently. "If I knew the answer to that, I would have told you a long time ago. Maybe you need to get laid," she joked.

Kelli rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because that will turn out well. Another body I'd have to get rid of."

"Kel, come home. We can figure this out, but I can't help you when you are a million miles away."

Kelli sighed. "I don't know if anyone can help me. I've destroyed the one thing that has kept me going for nearly a century, Jade. And while I'm happy it's done, I feel like there's nothing left. I saved the day and I didn't even get the guy!"

Kelli was surprised when Jade started to laugh. "You just destroyed your mortal enemy... the one who killed your sister, and you had sworn revenge on, and you're worried that you didn't get the guy? I'm serious Kel, go get laid. Then come home and we'll figure things out."

"Jade...." she pulled the phone away from her ear and just stared at it for a moment. Then, she watched as if she were watching a movie of herself, as she slowly reached a finger out and pushed the disconnect button. There would be hell to pay, but in the end, Jade would understand.

"Don't you understand, Jade?" she asked of the now silent phone. "It's not that easy. I'm a mess, and I'm a hairsbreadth away from finding someone to kill me."

The words hung in the air of the silent room. It was the first time she had admitted she was way past depressed and into full on suicide mode. If she didn't pull herself out...

And with one thought, her entire demeanor changed. Of course she wasn't all of a sudden happy go lucky, but she realized that there was one thing to live for, and that was to ensure that Jade didn't end up in such a bad place again as when Kelli had found her. For all the talk of being a bad ass vampire, she really was a softy at heart.

Dialing the phone again, she started talking as soon as Jade picked up, before she could say anything. "Jadey, I'm sorry. Really, I am. I'm ready to come home, but I think we should pack up the apartment and find somewhere else."

Jade's voice came through laced with surprise. "Well, okay. I'll start an online search, do you know where you'd like to go?"

Kelli shook her head, even though Jade couldn't see it. "No, but I'd like to stay on the East Coast if it's possible. And preferably someplace that is _not_ Bumfuck Nowhere."

"Okay. Are you leaving soon?" Jade asked.

"I'll be leaving as soon as I get my stuff together. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Kelli. See you soon."

"Good bye, Jade," she said as she hung up. There had to be something she could focus on, that would give her a new goal in life. College, world hunger, something!

Kelli flew through the cottage and gathered her things. She hadn't been there long enough to really mess it up, so there was little to straighten. When she was done, she locked the door and didn't look back. She would mail the keys to Brian and Mary-Dean when she got to wherever they were going with a note and a bit of an extra tip for leaving so soon after their agreement.

Packing up her car, she backed out of the driveway and put the car on the road toward New York. A rock station was playing and she sang along, singing harmony with the songs as she drove. Her mind, so capable of thinking of too many things at once, was inundated with conflicting thoughts.

_You're going to be fine Kelli. Jade will help you through this, she'll help you figure out a new path in life._

_There is nothing left for you. Go to Italy. Find Chelsea and tell her what you did to her sister. How you enjoyed the scrape of your teeth against her sister's neck. How you reveled in the sound of her head detaching from her body. _

_Maybe... maybe there's something else out there for you_.

Kelli's scream echoed in her ears as it reverberated in the small space of the Barracuda. "SHUT UP SHUT UP!"

Pulling off the freeway at the first exit she found she pulled to the side of the road and laid her head on the steering wheel. Her shoulders shook with the silent sobs that she couldn't cry. And still the voices wouldn't shut up in her head.

Resolutely pushing her face off the steering wheel she forced herself to put the car in gear and get back on the freeway. She'd get as far as she could before the weight of the voices crushed her. She only hoped that it would be a quick and painless death.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It had turned out that Jade was able to find a place in West Virginia. Beckley, according to a website proclaiming "Interesting United States Weather Facts and Extremes" was the eighth cloudiest city in the US, with approximately 211 days of no sun each year. Not that temperature changes bothered her, but Kelli was partial to the warm breeze on her skin, and Beckley had a decent summer according to Wikipedia. So Kelli and Jade had packed up their apartment and U-Hauled it to a condo that Jade had found. They had been able to do everything online, or over the phone, so they had taken the place immediately.

Jade had gently asked Kelli about what happened, her change of heart.

"_Kelli, what happened? I'm not complaining, but what made you decide to come home?" Jade had asked._

_Kelli sighed. "Honestly Jade, it was you. We're selfish creatures by nature, but having lost my sister, and knowing what you went through, I couldn't put you through that again with my suicidal tendencies. I had considered going to Chelsea and telling her what I did, just to have her kill me."_

_Jade sucked in a breath. _

_Kelli smiled wryly. "I know. Not smart, but I'm not feeling much of anything these days, Jade."_

That had been the end of the conversation for the time being. Not even Jade, who usually had a snappy comeback for everything, had anything to say to someone who admitted they felt dead inside.

And now here she was, standing in front of Georgia Auto, which was advertising for help wanted. Hoping that decent, honest work would bring a spark back to her life. Squaring her shoulders, she pushed through the door, hearing the jingle, and stopped dead. Her nostrils flared as she took in the scent, and she glanced around warily. She turned around and was about to walk out the door when a deep, melodic voice stopped her.

"Can I help you?"

The voice was asking more than just a simple customer service question and she knew it. Very slowly she turned around, and found her gaze arrested by the beauty of the man standing before her. He was tall, probably a good three or four inches taller than herself, perhaps mid-twenties, with a mane of longish dark hair. His body was lean and muscled in the right places, his skin the same shade as hers. He had grease smudged on his cheek and his hands. He wore a black t-shirt and a pair of dirty jeans with skate shoes. When she finally was able to bring herself to meet his eyes, she sucked in a breath. They were burgundy, the same color as her own, and they were assessing her as much as hers were him.

"I was here to apply for the mechanic's position, but I'm sure that it's been filled," she replied.

He took in her blond waves that she had styled into submission, her pristine white, form fitting v-neck tee and her khaki cargo pants. She had put on heels today as well. The man quirked a brow. "_You_ were going to apply for the mechanic's position?"

Kelli's chin hitched up a notch. "Yes, and I'm a damn good one. So if it's filled, that's fine, I'll be on my way. If you are interested in hiring me, then let me see your manager."

The man chuckled. "Right this way ma'am," he drawled.

Kelli stalked past him onto the main floor, her high heels clicking on the concrete as he led her up a set of stairs to an office. He opened the door and she stepped in, looking around. It was empty. She turned to look at him. "Where is the manager?"

"You're looking at him. Chris Michaels. And you are?" he asked as he offered his dirty hand to her.

Kelli glanced at his hand, then to him, and saw the spark of amusement in his eyes. He'd offered her a dirty hand on purpose because he didn't believe that she would take it. A strike against her for the mechanic's position. With a defiant look in her eye, she placed her hand in his. It was like a jolt of electricity had shocked her. "Kelli Masterson." She pulled her hand away as quickly as was polite.

Chris's burgundy eyes were amused as she snatched her hand away. "So, Ms. Masterson, you are a mechanic?"

"I am. I restored my car myself. But I suppose that wouldn't convince you. Obviously I didn't do it here, so I'm sure you will think I had outside help. The only way I can prove myself is to get out there and do what needs to be done," she shot back, trying to wipe the amusement from his face.

He was eying her skeptically. "Alright. I'll give you a trial run. Can you start now?" He was now looking at her outfit, his eyes lingering on her high heels.

Kelli smirked. "I can start now if that's what you need."

Chris seemed taken aback. "What? No pay negotiations or questions about benefits?"

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously you _are_ as dumb as you look Mr. Michaels. Let's get this straight shall we? I know that I'm new to the area. You probably don't want me here, and I can respect that, but I _am_ here and you'll have to deal with it. I want you to pay me whatever these other idiots are making, but I'll be worth a hell of a lot more. I want days off when needed, paid. You can take your health insurance, dental plan and life insurance and shove it up your ass. Got it?"

He couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from quirking up, though he wasn't too thrilled with her tirade. If she was like this in the interview what would it be like working with her? "Lets see what you can do, and then I'll decide if you are Georgia Auto material," he managed to say calmly.

Turning on her heel, Kelli sauntered out of the room and down the stairs, those ridiculous high heels clicking on the steps as she did so. Chris followed her after a moment, wary about what she might do next. God help his men if he unleashed this woman on the garage floor.

Standing at the base of the stairs, Chris watched as she walked up to the mechanic closest to him. Jack was taken with her, but shied away from her at the same time. He often wondered what the guys that worked for him thought about, having that instinctive reaction to shy away from their boss. She spoke quietly to him, and Chris heard her ask what was wrong with the car and what he'd done so far to fix it.

Jack replied to her, practically stuttering, and let her yank the wrench out of his hands. She proceeded to lean over the engine and examine it before she went to work. Her fingers flew over the car, though he noticed she was careful to keep it at a quick human pace. He had to admit that she was good. Within ten minutes she had the car up and running perfectly, having fixed the problem and also giving it a few minor tweaks to make it run better as well.

Kelli stepped back from the car, a satisfied smirk on her face as she turned to Chris. She handed the wrench back to Jack, who stuttered his thanks, and then her hand whipped out and grabbed the shop rag from Chris's back jeans pocket. Wiping her hands, she shot him an angelic smile. "So, I'll be here at nine am tomorrow morning, Chris?" she asked in a sweet voice. He didn't miss the nasty note behind it.

Grudgingly, he nodded. "Nine am, Masterson. Don't be late."

Kelli laughed. It was a musical sound. "Oh don't worry Michaels. I'm going to be the biggest pain in your ass you've ever had." With that she winked at him and sauntered out, hips swaying provocatively.

Chris watched her go, and noticed every other guy was doing the same. He couldn't blame them. Her threat still rang in his ears. She was pretty to look at, but he would have his hands full with that one. Looking at the men still gaping after Kelli's departure, he barked, "Back to work!"

The men all quickly turned back to their tasks at hand. Chris walked toward the reception area and caught her car turning the corner. A Barracuda, he thought. Nice. She would probably drive him to insanity, where he'd be begging for someone to kill him, but the woman had style, he'd give her that. Turning around again, he headed back to the shop floor, where a car awaited his attention.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

By the time Chris walked through the door of the house he shared with his brother Josh, he had decided he was a complete idiot. He slammed his keys onto the table and winced as it split. "Dammit," he muttered.

Josh, tall and good looking with a wiry frame and blond hair that he styled into some modern hair style that hung in his eyes, appeared in the doorway to the foyer in a second. He frowned. "What the hell, Chris?" He was still wearing his work clothes, a gray suit and black shirt, minus the jacket. He'd undone the top couple buttons of his shirt.

Chris raised his eyes to meet Josh's and growled lightly. "Have you ever met another vampire that is so completely infuriating that you just want to kill them right there?"

Josh's brow raised. "You met another vampire?"

Chris smirked, though his eyes still held their fury. "She waltzed into my garage. All but demanded the mechanic's job. And I gave it to her."

"You gave it to her?"

"I didn't really have a choice, bro. She's better than all the guys that work for me, and every person I've interviewed. I couldn't pass it up. But now I'm regretting it, because tomorrow morning, I will be unleashing hell upon my garage."

Josh laughed. "She can't be that bad."

Chris arched a brow. "I beg to differ. She can be, and she is. I give it a week before she tries to run the shop herself and muscle me out."

His brother just stared at him. "Chris, dude, I know that it's been a while since we've had to deal with anything like this, but are you not up to the challenge? Maybe she'd be good for you," Josh stated with a waggle of his brows.

Chris reached out and punched Josh in the shoulder. Hard. The resounding crack of their flesh meeting echoed through the house for a moment. "I do _not_ need that kind of trouble."

Josh looked thoughtful. "Maybe I should stop by tomorrow and meet her. Maybe I'll take her out."

Chris just shook his head and pushed past him. "Be my guest J. If you lasted past one day together I would be surprised."

Josh watched Chris go up the stairs, presumably to clean up and change clothes. "I've never seen a woman get you so worked up before Chris," he said.

"Back off, Josh! All this woman does is infuriate me." Chris's head appeared at the top of the stairs, his shoulders bare because he was in the middle of changing his shirt. "She told me I could take my health insurance, dental plan and life insurance and shove it up my ass."

Josh's laughter boomed through the house as Chris disappeared again. "I like her already. You didn't _really_ offer her that shit did you?"

Chris came trotting down the stairs in a fresh white tee and blue jeans, his feet bare. "No. I was hoping she'd leave. I asked her about pay negotiations and if she wanted to know about the benefits package."

Josh rolled his eyes. "Dude, you are an idiot. No wonder she told you that, I would have too."

"She made up her own benefits package, and will expect me to keep to it," Chris replied.

"You're the boss, you make the benefits packages. She _does_ have you messed up," Josh said.

"Bite me," Chris shot back.

"No thanks, I'll leave that to your mysterious woman mechanic. Or maybe I'll let her bite me," Josh said.

"I'm going out for a bite, are you coming?" Chris changed the subject.

"Yeah, yeah, let me change."

-

Jade looked up from her computer when Kelli came in. "Wow, what has you in such a mood?" she asked.

Kelli threw her keys and purse on the chair and then flopped down on the couch. "I got a job today."

"That's great! Doing what?" Jade asked, wondering why she looked so upset if she had found a job.

"Fixing cars."

Jade frowned. So it was going to be one of those days where she had to pull it out of her bit by bit. "That's good. I thought that's what you wanted to do."

"It was."

"Then what's the problem, Kel?" Jade asked patiently.

Kelli sometimes wondered what Jade's human life had been like to inspire such a deep well of patience within her. "The problem is, the manger is a dick. And he doesn't like me."

Jade raised a brow. "Well, he hired you, didn't he?"

"Yes, but–"

"No buts Kelli, he hired you because you can do the job. The rest you can deal with. I admit I like him already."

"What do you mean, you like him already?" Kelli asked warily.

"Well, this is the most passion I've seen in you since you got that call from Amanda. If he can inspire you to feel something, he's okay in my book," Jade replied.

Kelli glared at her and leaned back in the chair. "You won't think that when you meet him. You'll think he's a jerk, just like I do," she predicted.

Jade merely grinned. "We'll see about that."

Kelli rolled her eyes and pushed herself out of the chair. "Is there any place to grab a bite around here?"

Jade turned back to her computer and with a few keystrokes had a list of places up. "This looks like it might be a good place," she said pointing to a bar listed. "It seems like the hot spot to be, so there should be lots to choose from."

Kelli barely glanced at the screen as she nodded. "That's fine. I'm going to change and we can go."

Jade just shook her head as she turned her computer off and went to change as well. She hoped that something would snap Kelli out of her depression and soon. No matter what Kelli promised, Jade still worried that she'd go off and find Chelsea. And that was something that Jade couldn't handle.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Kelli and Jade had decided to walk, because it wasn't too far to the bar from their place. It was a fairly nice night, and they took their time, both lost in their own thoughts. The slow, human pace was soothing to Kelli's nerves. They had been wound tight ever since her encounter with Chris.

Jade was startled out of her thoughts by Kelli's voice. "Maybe I won't take the job," she said.

Jade frowned. "Now why would you do a thing like that?" she asked quietly.

Kelli kept her gaze straight ahead as she thought over her answer. What would be a good reason? She was afraid he'd fire her? She was afraid of feeling anything other than the drive of revenge? "I don't think he likes me, and I pretty much made him hire me," she finally said.

Instead of sympathy, or whatever else Kelli had been expecting, Jade laughed. "You do realize, Kel, that if he didn't want to hire you, he wouldn't have? You are damn good at what you do. And no matter how you acted, no one can deny that."

The corners of Kelli's mouth quirked up a bit at the compliment. "You're right."

"Of course I am. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have said it! Now stop moping around. We're going to have fun tonight, and then tomorrow morning you will go into that shop and fix cars, and get dirty just as well as any of those men. You will prove to your dick of a boss that you can play with the boys and get dirty just like them, and not be a priss, and impress the the hell out of him. Right?" Jade said.

"Yes," Kelli sighed.

"Good, now stop pouting. We're here," Jade turned to look at her, and then reached up, pushing the corners of Kelli's mouth up. "Smile. You're on candid camera," she said with a laugh.

Kelli rolled her eyes, but did as she was told, and pasted a convincing enough smile on her face. Jade pulled open the door, and the sounds of the bar that it had muted spilled out around them, along with the stench of stale beer, cigarettes and other offensive odors. Head held high, Kelli stepped in, Jade behind her.

Kelli took in the scene before her. Guys and girls, mostly college age, or just out of college, packed the place. A DJ was on stage spinning the latest dance song, and a few people were dancing on the floor below him. Her trained eye picked out a few potentials for the evening. Since they had done this before, the pattern was easy to fall back into. Jade went to the bar and ordered two beers in bottles and Kelli scoped out a spot for them to settle in while they waited.

Jade brought the bottles, which would go untouched, and sat down next to Kelli, looking around the packed bar. "A lot to choose from tonight," she said softly.

Kelli nodded. Suddenly her spine stiffened and her eyes shot to the doorway. She felt Jade stiffen too, and knew she had noticed them. A low hiss escaped Kelli's lips. What was ihe/i doing here? Then her eyes fell on the one with him, and Kelli gasped, putting her hand to her mouth in shock.

At the same moment, Chris's gaze went to Kelli's table. He groaned. Of all the people to run into, he had to run into iher./i He just couldn't catch a break today. He smirked at her when she still hadn't dropped her hand from her mouth. However, it was quickly wiped off his face when she bolted upright and started effortlessly threading her way through the crowd to get to them.

When Kelli saw the smirk on Chris's face, she couldn't help it, she jumped up and started walking toward him.

Jade didn't know what to do, so she followed her. She took in the two vampires they were heading toward and grinned a bit to herself. The dark haired one was cute.

Kelli paused long enough to glare up at Chris before she pointed behind him to the door. "I don't think we want this confrontation in here," she hissed.

Chris looked about to argue when Josh grabbed his arm and pulled him back out the door, with Jade and Kelli following. They all walked around the edge of the building, away from the prying eyes of the humans.

As soon as they were out of sight, Kelli whirled on him. "What are you doing here? Trying to make my life hell? Ruin a good night out? Are you following me?!" she said in an outraged whisper. "And with him, no less!" She was pointing to Josh.

Chris looked from Kelli to Josh and back. "You know my brother?" he asked quietly. And calmly. He was proud of the way he sounded.

"Your brother?!" Unlike Chris's calm exterior, Kelli was having a hard time controlling her temper. And it pissed her off more to see that he was completely calm on the outside.

Josh stepped in then. "It's been a long time Kelli," he said quietly.

It took Kelli a few moments to meet Josh's gaze. "I'm sorry Josh," she mumbled.

Chris and Jade exchanged looks, wondering what the hell was going on.

"I really don't think this is the time or place to rehash old wounds, Kel-bell," he said, deliberately using an old nickname.

She gritted her teeth. "I didn't realize you'd taken up with ihim/i" she said, as if Chris were her own personal Satan, sent to drag her to her own personal hell.

"Chris and I have been together a long time Kelli, and I didn't expect you to keep tabs on me when you packed up and left."

"I... you don't understand Josh," she said softly.

"Do you want to explain it to me?" he asked.

She glanced to Jade and Chris, then to Josh. "I'm not sure now is a good time. My sister and I were just leaving."

Chris raised a brow. "No, no, you two go ahead. I'll make sure your sister gets home safe."

Kelli shook her head. "Like hell you will. I don't want you anywhere near her or my house," she growled.

Jade finally spoke up. "Kelli, I am perfectly capable of getting home on my own. However, I would like to talk to Chris," she said with an appraising look to him. "You go ahead and catch up with Josh. I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."

Kelli shot Jade a murderous look as the small, black woman took Chris's arm with a smile. "Why don't you tell me about that garage you run, Chris? I'm very interested in fixing cars." Jade said with an exaggerated grin.

"Oh give me a break, she doesn't know the first thing about cars," Kelli muttered as she looked up at Josh. She sighed, defeated. "Alright, J, lets have it."

"Will you walk with me? I don't feel like having this conversation in some dark alley, even if I'm not worried about getting mugged." Josh offered her his hand.

Kelli rolled her eyes and took his hand. "Alright, fine. I take it you aren't going to yell at me since we'll be walking in public?"

They walked out of the alley, and went the opposite direction of Chris and Jade. "I never said that, now did I, Kel-bell? But I will let you explain. And I don't want to hear, 'It just wasn't working for me,' this time. There was a reason, and I want it."

Kelli sighed. "Remember when I said that I had had a sister once?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

They were walking along a deserted street. Josh looked at Kelli, frowning. "Yes, I remember you mentioned her. Jessica?"

Kelli nodded. "Yes. Jessica was too trusting. She had a gift of being able to sense danger, but it failed her when she needed it the most. Someone she trusted killed her for no other reason than because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And she said something this person didn't like. She didn't realize how dangerous Amanda was until... Anyway, I returned to our house to find Amanda burning her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. When I asked what happened she acted as if killing someone who was supposed to be an ally wasn't a horrible thing to do. Everything in me screamed to tear Amanda apart. But I could see the light of madness in her eye. I might survive, but I might not. And if I didn't, what good would my revenge be?"

They had arrived at a small park, and Josh sank slowly to a bench, absorbing all this. Kelli remained standing. "So I left. I let her think that it was iokay/i to kill my sister for no other reason then she had said something to piss her off. I left town, and Amanda was alone. I didn't know what to do, so I holed up in some small town and started planning my revenge. I would kill her. That was a given. But I would have to be patient. If she thought for one moment that I would kill her, it wouldn't work. So I had to wait. Let her stop looking over her shoulder, wondering when I'd show up.

"And so, a few decades later is when I met you. I really did care about you Josh." She reached a hand out, and stopped, pulling it back and crossing her arms over her chest. "But the truth is, I was obsessed with my revenge. That night, I had gotten a phone call, if you remember." Kelli was whispering now. "So I packed up my things, told you it wasn't working for me anymore, and I left to find out what my contact knew about Amanda. Sure, I could have tracked her down myself, but I was trying to stay away from her, build that false sense of security."

Josh was listening quietly. "You had this all planned out didn't you?" he asked.

Kelli nodded. "Everything except you. Don't you see? That's why I had to leave. You were the unknown quantity and I couldn't have that. So instead of telling you what I was doing, I left. I felt bad," her lips twisted into a humorless smirk, "but not bad enough to stay and tell you what was going on with me.

"I kept my eye on Amanda. Later I met Jade, and she became a sister to me. We bonded... She knew what I was doing, and when Amanda called me a few months ago... she begged me not to go, but in the end, I still went. If Amanda was calling me, it meant she was comfortable enough to think she was safe from me. I played her game, tracking Jesse down. And when he orchestrated the final stand... I killed her. I kept Jesse and his wife away from her, making it look like I was helping her, all the while watching for my opening. She was about to kill Jesse's wife, and I took my chance. I beheaded her and the look on her face was priceless. It was worth the near one hundred years wait," she explained, not even caring that Josh probably had no clue who Jesse or his wife were.

"And since then, I've been lost. I feel... empty, as if I'm just a shell. The only reason I haven't gone to Chelsea and told her about my assassination of her sister is because I can't leave Jade like that... she... I just can't leave her."

Josh just stared at her. "You have managed to make me speechless," he finally said. "You orchestrated Amanda's death, and planned it for that long? My God, Kel, that's... wow. Patience." He ran a hand through his hair, and when he pulled it out, it was sticking up along one side. Putting his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward and massaged his eye sockets.

Kelli watched him, unsure what to say. It had all been the truth, and it was strange, but she felt like a tiny spark of something had started inside her again. Life? Spilling her guts to Josh had brought some emotion other than sass, and she wasn't sure what to think of that.

Josh looked up at her, his expression confused. Finally, he stood and reached for her hand. When she gave it to him, he pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. "You could have told me," he said quietly, resting his forehead on hers. "I would have helped you."

Looking into his eyes, Kelli remembered why she had fallen for him in the first place. "I couldn't," she answered just as quietly. "It was my fight. Jade had offered to help as well, but I turned her down."

He closed his eyes, keeping his forehead on hers. "I'm sorry Kelli, that you had to go through that." He opened his eyes. "Are you hunting tonight?"

"Yes, though we were interrupted," she quipped.

"Would you hunt with me?" he asked.

She bit her lip. She was sure that Jade was fine, but the thought of her with Chris made her cringe inwardly. Who knew what he was telling her? Or what Jade was telling him? Oh, God. What if Jade was trying to convince Chris was a great girl Kelli was, and he should ask her out or something?

Josh saw the look of panic starting to build in her eyes and pulled back. "What? What's wrong?"

Closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath, Kelli forced herself to calm down. "Nothing," she said when she opened her eyes again. "Nothing. Of course, I will hunt with you tonight," she said as she forced a smile.

-

She hardly needed an escort home, but Josh had been insistent. So rolling her eyes, and giving him a smile, she had allowed him to walk her back to the condominium complex. Punching in the code for the gate, she stepped inside with him beside her. His hand was on the small of her back. They took the elevator to the top floor. When it allowed them to step out, she led him down a short hallway to her door.

Turning to face him, she looked up at him. "Thank you for everything, J. For listening and understanding."

He reached out and touched her cheek, stroking his fingertips down it lightly. Then he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. "It was no problem to listen, Kel. You should know that. I'll see you soon."

She watched as he turned and walked away, opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator this time. She turned and unlocked the door when Josh was out of sight. She was ready to take a nice long shower and just relax before she had to go to the shop and work with Chris all day in the morning.

Opening the door she stepped inside, and then stopped. A growl escaped as she slammed the door and stalked through the house. "Christopher Michaels I know you are here! Get the hell out of my goddamn house!" she screeched.

It had been quiet, she realized. Too quiet. What were they up to? She slipped soundlessly down the corridor to where the bedrooms were. All the doors were open, and no one was inside. She knew they heard her, because she was fairly certain they had heard her in the next county. She went into Jade's bedroom and saw the balcony door. Stepping out onto it, it too was empty. Then she looked down.

Chris was looking back up at her, his red eyes practically glowing. She bared her teeth at him, and he just laughed. "You told me to get out Kelli. I'm out," he said quietly, though he knew she heard him.

"I hate you," she replied.

"I know, babe. Don't worry. The feeling's mutual." With that he blew her a kiss and sauntered away.

If it hadn't been the middle of the night, Kelli would have let out a scream that they would hear in Russia. As it was, she very calmly turned around and walked back inside.

Jade was standing there. "You know, he's not such a bad guy," she said with her hands on her hips. "I have no idea what your problem with him is."

"You wouldn't understand, Jadey. Just go away and leave me alone. I need to relax if I'm going to make it through an entire day with him tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Kelli spent the morning debating over what to wear. She wanted to prove to Chris that she could do the job. She wasn't a princess who was afraid to get dirty, and she was trying to choose clothes that would reflect that. After standing in front of her closet for about thirty minutes with no idea as to what she would wear, she turned away. Looking down at herself she mumbled that she could always wear what she had on, which was a ratty old t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. Somehow, she doubted her new, and very annoying, boss would be amused.

"Jade!" she shouted, striding out of her bedroom. "Jadey! I need something to wear to work today," she said, now standing in the doorway to Jade's bedroom.

Jade looked up. She was lounging on her bed, reading a book. "You don't own anything to wear to work, Kelli?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical tone.

Kelli rolled her eyes. "Of course I have clothes to wear. But I want to prove that I'm not a prissy girl. I need help," she said. Jade was the more fashion conscious of the two, and she knew how to throw together an outfit to project any demeanor you wanted.

Jade jumped off her bed and raced into Kelli's room. By the time Kelli had made it there, Jade had half her closet pulled out and strewn across the room. Finally she pulled out a plain heather gray t-shirt with a subtle v-neck and a pair of older low rise blue jeans. There was a hole in the knee. She tossed them at Kelli and was kneeling on the floor know looking at her shoes.

Kelli pulled her t-shirt off and put the new one on. She had one leg in her pants and was just putting her other one in when Jade hurled a pair of sneakers rapid-fire at her head. Kelli quickly reached out and caught the shoes, but stumbled a bit in the half on jeans. She fell hard to her ass and winced hearing the resounding boom. Cautiously she shifted, hoping she hadn't broken the floor. She let out a sigh of relief feeling and hearing nothing indicating she was about to fall through the ceiling of their downstairs neighbor's apartment.

Jade, for her part, found the entire scenario hilarious and was rolling on Kelli's bed in a fit of giggles.

"Jade shut up! This is your fault," Kelli said while she pulled her jeans on from her spot on the floor before standing up to button them up. She pulled out a pair of socks and put them on before putting her shoes on. Walking into her bathroom, she ran a brush through her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail. Some tendrils refused to be tamed, and framed her face.

Jade was glad she didn't need to breathe, because she was still laughing so hard. "You should have seen your face, Kel! Priceless! Oh, god, if only I'd had a camera...." she fell back into giggling.

Kelli picked up a book from her desk and threw it at Jade. "I'll be home later. I'm off to hell – I mean work. Wish me luck."

Jade finally calmed down, blowing out a breath to calm her giggles. "Good–" she paused and blew out another breath. "Luck. But you won't need it. You're the best mechanic Chris has, whether he knows it or not. Only thing you need luck for, is not destroying Chris before the day is out."

"Well there you go, I still need luck. See you later Jadey, and thanks," she said as she left the bedroom. A moment later she was walking down the hallway to the elevator.

-

Half way to Georgia Auto, Kelli nearly turned around and drove home. She wasn't ready to face Chris. However, she squared her shoulders and drove on to the garage. Parking in the lot behind, she took a deep calming breath, and the laughed to herself. Vampire yoga. That's what she needed. Stepping out of the car she made her way inside and listened. She knew Chris was here, his scent was strong. She thought she smelled one other, and heard someone moving in the locker room. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the door jamb before leaning a shoulder against it, watching Chris.

Chris internally cursed. Was it that time already? He wasn't ready to deal with Kelli yet. So he made her wait, even after she knocked. Chris could feel her gaze on him. Finally he looked up and gave her his best nonchalant smile. "What can I do for you, Masterson?" he asked her.

"Well fuck you too, Chris. Just point me in the direction of a car, and I'll fix the damn thing and get out of your hair," she replied. What was it about this man that got her so worked up?

Lightning fast, he reached into a box behind his messy desk and pulled out a pair of coveralls and tossed them at her. "Put this on so you don't get your pretty outfit all dirty. You can work in stall three. Did you bring tools, or do you need some?" he asked, all business.

"WHAT is with everyone throwing clothing at me today?! I didn't think vampires could wake up on the wrong side of the bed considering we don't sleep," she hissed. "I have my own tools in my car, thankyouverymuch, iMr./i Michaels." She turned and walked out the door, but muttered "And go fuck yourself," under her breath as she walked down the stairs.

Chris sat back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head. He watched her walking through the shop, no doubt going to get her tools. Glancing at the clock he sighed. Pulling on his own coveralls over his jeans, but leaving the top hanging down the back of his legs, he headed down the stairs himself.

When Kelli returned with her tools, she started setting up in stall three. She hadn't put on the coveralls. Arranging everything so she had easy access, she opened and lifted the hood of the car, then took a look at the work order. Just as she was about to start, she heard his voice again.

"You know, Masterson, you're gonna get that pretty little outfit of yours all smudged up if you don't wear those coveralls," Chris drawled. He had already been working on the car in the stall next to hers. He walked over and stood next to her, looking at the work order in her hand, before placing a greasy hand on her shoulder and leaning over to look under the hood. "Yeah, that should be an easy one for you. I didn't want you to start out with something too complicated," he said as he dragged the grease down her back.

Kelli very deliberately looked at her shoulder, where a big, greasy handprint now resided, then to Chris's retreating back. "I swear to high heaven, Michaels, you will get what you deserve," she said so lowly she knew only he would hear. Then, forcing a smile she made quick work of the car. The other mechanics on had seen the exchange and had waited to see her reaction before going back to work when Chris shot them all a deadly look.

And so it went throughout the morning. Mostly nasty looks were traded, though words were traded too. When the others had gone to lunch, Kelli saw her opening. She was doing an oil change, and had to walk by him to get a couple bottles of oil. On her way back, she had opened one bottle and when she was next to Chris, she 'accidentally' tripped and watched the bottle go flying end over end, oil spilling everywhere. And it landed right on it's target. Hitting Chris square in the chest, it didn't hurt him, but it did manage to spray oil up into his face and over his exposed t-shirt and the coveralls he was wearing.

Kelli picked herself up off the floor and smiled sweetly. "Oh! I'm so sorry Mr. Michaels! How clumsy of me! Here, can I clean you up?" she asked, grabbing a rag and wiping at the oil on his white t-shirt, rubbing it in more. Just as he was about to grab her wrist to make her stop ruining his t-shirt, he heard a laugh behind him.

"She got you good, Chris," Josh said.

Kelli looked around Chris to see Josh, wearing an expensive suit, leaning against a pole, hands in his pockets, watching them. And he had a grin on his face. She looked up at Chris and saw anger in his eyes, and she wondered why.

"Josh," Chris said tightly. "I wasn't expecting you today. I thought you were coming tomorrow to look at the books."

Josh grinned. "And miss this?" he said indicating Kelli ruining his shirt. "You couldn't pay me enough money to miss this, bro."

Kelli grinned at Josh. "Oh it was an accident, I assure you, Josh."

"I'm sure it was," he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

Chris pulled away from Kelli and growled. "Masterson, clean up this mess. Josh, I will see you upstairs, now," he said walking away and up the stairs.

Kelli watched them go and laughed to herself. Maybe this was just the thing she needed to feel again. Rivalry and loathing.

-

Chris stood at the window watching Kelli efficiently clean up her mess. "Josh, what do you want?" he asked bluntly.

"I wanted to see Kelli. Obviously you've been giving her hell today, so I thought I'd offer her some sanity."

Chris smirked. "Me, giving her hell? You're living in a dream world, J."

Josh walked over and stood next to Chris, watching Kelli also. "She's really a great girl. I was hoping she'd decide to pick up where we left off," Josh said.

Chris gave his brother a glance out of the corner of his eye. Outwardly, he nodded. "Good luck with that. She'll probably cut your dick off." Inwardly, he couldn't understand why he wasn't happy for his brother. Not like he wanted to be with her. He just put it in the back of his mind, not to be worried about.

Josh just laughed. "I'm not too worried about that." He left the window and sat down in Chris's chair, moving things so he could get to the computer. "I'll have this done in about an hour," he said as he started typing in commands.

Chris watched him for a minute before he took a deep, calming breath, and walked out of the office and back to hell – the shop floor.

-

Kelli cleaned up, and she heard most of what Josh and Chris discussed. She laughed to herself at Chris's comment about her cutting Josh's dick off. It wasn't Josh's that she wanted to do that to. She had just finished her oil change when the others started coming back from lunch. Chris also returned and started to work on his car again.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. More nasty looks and comments, but no more 'accidents'. As Kelli washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror, she was shocked to see more tendrils framing her face than had been this morning. She had smudges on her face and neck from the grease and oil she'd been working with all day. She blew a breath up, watching the hair fly up and then flop back down. When she dried her hands she walked back to grab her stuff so she could leave.

Josh was standing there, holding her bag. "Hey Kel."

"J. What's up?" she replied, while digging for her keys.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight," he said, his eyes searching her face.

She looked up and smiled. "Sure, but can I go home and change? I'm a mess."

Josh just smiled. "You look beautiful, but sure. I'll pick you up at seven?"

"That would be great, Josh. I'll see you then." Kelli smiled, and blew a kiss to him as she turned away and walked out to her car.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The months passed much as that first day had. Barely contained hostility, snarky comments, and outright insults. They had toned down the 'accidents' because about a week after Kelli started working for Chris, one of the other mechanics, not realizing that the vampires were able to hear him, had said something to another co-worker, about how strange it was that Chris would let Kelli continue to work for him if she was so clumsy. Considering that most of her accidents caused Chris to get dirty, soaked, or some other disaster, they really couldn't understand.

Kelli would spend her days at the garage. Being there gave her a sense of purpose. It seemed to fill that empty hole in her soul. Her nights were spent with Jade or Josh. She spent a fair amount of time at Josh and Chris's, though she tried to avoid it, if at all possible. Josh took pity on her and usually came to her place, or they went out.

Last night Kelli and Josh had been taking a midnight walk in the park when he stopped and looked at her. "Kelli, I was going to take a vacation. I was hoping you'd come with me."

Kelli had been so surprised she was speechless. And then she was berating herself for even hesitating. After all, she did feel something for Josh, didn't she? He filled the gaping hole in her heart left by the death of her sister, didn't he?

And therein lay the problem. That gaping hole, left by Jessica's death, was not filled. It hadn't been filled by Amanda's death, and it wasn't filled by Josh. At least it wasn't filled in the way she had thought it would be. Josh was a wonderful guy and she truly cared about him, but she was beginning to wonder if she was being fair to him. So she had asked him to give her a day, because she would have to ask Chris if she could have the time off.

"I can talk to him for you," Josh had offered.

"Thank you, Josh, but I think it would look better coming from me," Kelli had smiled.

So here she sat, a half hour before closing for the weekend, and she had yet to talk to Chris. She reached over and tightened a cap, then lifted her hand and pushed some hair out of her eyes, leaving a trail of grease from her eyebrow to her hairline. Shutting the hood of the car and wiping her hands on a shop rag, she finished her paperwork and walked over to Chris's car, leaning against it as he worked.

Glancing up at her from beneath the fringe of dark hair nearly in his eyes, Chris raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you want, Masterson?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you. When you have a moment," she added almost as an afterthought.

"I'll be up to my office when I'm done here," was his reply.

Nodding, Kelli pushed away from the car and went to change out of her work clothes and clean up. When she washed her face and hands, she stripped her coveralls off and tossed them in the heap that Chris had sent out to be laundered. Pulling her hair out of it's restraining band, she ran her fingers through it, and then secured it again at the base of her neck. Grabbing her things to take home, she headed out of the locker room and up to Chris's office.

Chris was still on the floor, finishing up for the day. Most of the other guys had left. Kelli let herself into his office and flopped down in his chair, propping her feet up on the desk. She set her purse on the floor next to her. She closed her eyes, wishing, not for the first time, that she was able to sleep.

Five minutes later she heard Chris come in, but didn't open her eyes until he spoke.

"Comfortable?"

She slowly opened her eyes and smiled lazily. "Yes, thank you."

"Kelli, what do you want?" he asked as he wiped his hands again on the rag in his pocket. He pulled his coveralls off and tossed them in the corner.

It was strange, hearing him call her by her first name. She shifted, putting her feet on the floor. "Look, here's the thing. Josh wants me to go on a vacation with him. Will you give me the time off?"

Chris, who had been digging through some papers on his desk, paused and looked up at her. "I really could use you around here. You're my best mechanic," he said. It sounded as if it pained him to admit that last part.

Kelli noted how dark Chris's eyes were, the purple bruises under them. "When is the last time you fed?" she asked quietly, not even realizing what she was asking.

A hard edge was in his voice when he answered, "I don't think that you need to worry about me. Forget I said anything about needing you here. Just go have fun with my brother, Kelli."

She stood up quickly. "Oh, don't you worry, Chris. I'm sure it will be great," she said, matching his tone. She picked up her purse and walked toward the door.

Chris would forever wonder what possessed him to do what he did next. He reached out and grabbed her around her upper arm, stopping her retreat. He yanked her back to him, turning her so she faced him, and they stood toe to toe.

Kelli looked up at him, startled. Aside from the day he had wiped grease on her white t-shirt, he had refrained from touching her. "What?" she hissed.

Their gazes clashed right before he lowered his head and touched her lips with his own. A jolt of electricity shot through him and he pulled back, his eyes wide as he looked at her. She looked mad as hell, but there was something else in her eyes as well, and he wondered if she felt it too. Instead of an answer to that question, all he got was a ringing slap across his cheek.

Kelli knew the slap wouldn't hurt him, but it made her feel better anyway. She narrowed her eyes. "That was wrong on so many levels," she said, her voice deadly. "I am with your _brother_ for chrissakes. You are my boss. And the number one reason? I despise you Christopher Michaels."

Everything she said was true. Of course it was. But he couldn't help the cocky smile that spread across his lips. "The feeling is mutual," he replied before pulling her back to him and kissing her again. He couldn't help it. It was an angry kiss, his lips punishing hers. He was only mildly surprised when she didn't fight him, but instead succumbed to his kiss. But Kelli Masterson wouldn't be anyone's bitch, and she gave as good as she got. One hand was in his hair, winding into it and pulling while her teeth grazed his lips.

When they finally pulled away, they were both panting. The loathing in both their gazes was evident, but Kelli briefly wondered if hers was loathing of him, or of herself for doing this. How could she do this to Josh? After a tense few minutes just staring at each other, she picked up her purse where she had dropped it and practically growled at him. "That does not leave this office." She left before he could respond.

Chris watched her retreating back and wondered what in the hell had possessed him to do such a thing. She was his brother's girl. And he couldn't stand her! Why would he kiss her? The problem was, he wanted to do more than just kiss her. Sweeping a hand through his hair, he looked around his office in frustration. He vowed right then and there, it would never happen again. It _couldn't_ happen again.

-

Kelli ran out of the building, glad it was deserted except for Chris. What the hell had she been thinking? Letting him kiss her, and kissing him _back?_ It was madness! Insane. She touched her lips as she slid behind the wheel of her car and started it. Then shaking her head she slammed it into drive and took off. She needed to get away from him. She didn't want him. She cared for Josh.

And that damn voice, the one she thought she'd silenced when she decided to go home to Jade and try to figure out her life spoke up. _Then why don't you love Josh?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

It was hard for a vampire to slam things without breaking them. So Kelli was unable to slam doors and things around in the apartment when she got home, because she didn't feel like fixing them. Which in turn just made her more upset. Throwing herself onto her bed, she was rewarded with the frame breaking and feeling the mattresses thud to the floor beneath her. Closing her eyes, she wished that she could either die or at least lose herself in a few unconscious hours of sleep.

Jade stood in the doorway, resting against the jamb, watching her with her arms crossed. "It's been a long time since I've seen you in such a bad mood. What happened?" she asked quietly.

Kelli groaned and threw her arm over her eyes. "Jadey, what do you think of Josh?" she asked instead.

Jade frowned. "I think he's a sweet guy who cares a lot about you. Why?"

Flinging her arm back off her face Kelli sat up and glanced at the carnage of her bed. She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Laying her cheek on her knees she looked up at Jade. "I'm fucked up, that's why. Maybe it's just not possible for me to love someone. Do you think that's it?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Jade answered her anyway. "I think that you have been through a lot in your lifetime Kel, and it has left some serious scars on your soul. I think you're asking the wrong questions. It's not if you can love someone. Are you ready to love someone? I think you need to focus on yourself before worrying about anyone else."

Kelli stared at her younger sister. Her beautiful, coffee colored skin, wide eyes and black hair. Kelli was taken aback by her beauty and her wisdom. "Thank you, Jade. You're right of course. What would I do without you?"

"Crash and burn," Jade said with a grin as she came over and sat down next to Kelli, wrapping her arms around her. "You pulled me out. Vampire feelings are so... overwhelming that they would have consumed me if you hadn't come along when you did."

Kelli leaned into Jade and accepted the comfort and strength she offered. Quietly she sighed before pulling back a few moments later. She knew better than to ask Jade what she should do. This was something she needed to figure out on her own.

Jade got up from the broken bed and smiled down at Kelli. "You'll figure this out. You're strong, and you'll do the right thing." She turned and left the room.

Kelli watched her go before flopping back again and staring at the ceiling. The answer was in the Spackle above her, she was sure of it.

-

She wasn't sure how much time had passed but finally she admitted what she had to do. Gingerly picking herself up off the mattress, she went in search of her phone. She found it, along with her keys, in a pile on the floor on the other side of the living room. The phone was smashed into pieces. She didn't even remember throwing it, let alone, throwing it that hard. She sighed and started picking up the pieces. "Jade," she called as she dumped what was left of her phone in the garbage. "Can I use your phone? I kind of... broke mine."

Jade appeared, holding her phone. She laughed when Kelli gave her a sheepish grin. "There may be hope for you yet, Kel," she said as she handed her phone over.

Taking a deep breath, Kelli dialed the number and put it to her ear. Listening to the ring on the other end was eroding her confidence. Finally, he picked up.

"Josh, it's Kelli. I need to talk to you..."

-

Instead of going home after work, Chris wandered aimlessly. He was restless. And if he didn't want to lie to himself, he didn't want to face his brother. He was good at hiding his emotions, but he thought that Josh would be able to read the guilt in his face as if he were reading a children's book.

He hadn't been paying attention to where he was going until he was there. Looking up at the gate that enclosed Kelli's condominium complex, Chris ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You can't face your brother, and then what do you do? You go stalk the girl. You can't even stand her! You're a real piece of work Chris," he muttered to himself.

He was about to turn around and leave when he heard a crash. Looking up at the balconies that were on Kelli and Jade's floor, he easily picked out Jade's. Kelli's was next to it. The sliding door was closed, but he could make out murmurs, but not much in the way of words. Was she as upset about this as he was? What was she thinking? If he knew what she was thinking, he'd know what to do for his next move.

That's what he told himself anyway. Truth was, he wanted to see her again, and it made him angry to even think that. She was Josh's girlfriend! This was something they had never had to deal with before, but he was fairly certain Josh would kick his ass for even thinking about Kelli, let alone kissing her. But what a kiss it had been. He had known that behind the empty look in her red eyes there would be a fiery passion. She just had to find the outlet to release it. And he had helped her with that....

That was dangerous territory to be venturing into. He couldn't stand her. She was arrogant, stuck up and a complete bitch. What was there to like about her? _Besides_ her kissing, he told himself. Maybe he needed it tattooed on his forehead. She's a bitch, you don't like her, and the biggest no-no is that she is your brother's girlfriend!

Slamming the heel of his hand into the wrought iron gate, it rang out like a bell and dented. Frustrated with his own idiocy, he quickly walked away. He had no idea that someone had stepped out onto the balcony on the top floor and watched him leave.

-

By the time he got to his place it was well after dark. He found Josh sitting on the couch. He had changed from his normal work clothes when he got home and was wearing a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. He had his blonde head in his hands, what used to be his cellphone was crumbled at his feet.

"Josh? What's wrong bro?" Chris asked, moving to sit in the chair across from him. He forgot for a moment his own problems as he took in his brother's bleak look.

Josh looked up slowly. "She did it to me again, Chris. She fucking did it to me again! And I let her! How stupid am I? I should have stayed away. I should have walked out when we saw them in the bar. God, I'm an idiot!" Josh got up and started pacing like a caged cat.

Chris looked him, confused. "What did Kelli do?"

Josh stopped right in front of Chris and looked down at him. "She said she can't see me anymore. Something about having to fix herself, or love herself, or some shit like that before she can love anyone else. It's such bullshit!"

Chris had a cursory knowledge of what Kelli had been through. The basic details Josh had told him. Her sister was killed, she plotted the woman's death for a century, woman is dead, and Kelli didn't find the resolution she was looking for. He did think his brother was wrong in this though. "J, I don't know her whole story, and no way in hell is she talking to me about it, but don't you think that if she feels empty after her driving goal is gone, it _is_ something she needs to work on before she can be with someone?"

Josh raised a brow. "Why do you even care? It's not like you've ever cared about her. Either way, you don't have to worry. You'll only have to deal with her at work now, since she won't be coming around here anymore. I'm leaving, by the way. I'm still taking this vacation. Apparently, I need it."

Chris was left sitting in the chair, watching as Josh stalked off.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

A new day dawned, and with it came a sense of dread for Kelli. How was she supposed to face Chris and act as if nothing happened? She'd be much more likely to snap his neck. There was just no end to the loathing she felt toward him. Add to that the guilt she had over breaking Josh's heart again and she was in one hell of a mood by the time she walked into the garage, fifteen minutes late.

When she finally waltzed up to her station and started pulling out the tools she'd need for her first car, she caught Chris's scowl in her peripheral vision. After Chris had ruined her shirt, she'd taken to wearing the coveralls, but today she wore the top hanging down the back of her legs. She adjusted her ponytail after laying out her tools, always keeping her eyes down. However when she took her fingers from her hair, she flipped Chris off before going to work on the car in front of her.

Chris bit his tongue to keep from saying something that would expose the both of them. He shook his head and went back to his work, the muscles in his arms working as he tightened up everything he'd taken apart. His jaw was tight, he nearly roared in frustration as he accidentally broke the cap he was tightening.

Kelli glanced up from the engine of the car she was working on. She smirked at him before looking down again. A few moments later Chris told everyone to take a break. Kelli frowned as she looked up at him. He gave her a smile that sent chills down her spine. She watched as the other guys filed out to get their nicotine fix before turning her eyes back to Chris. "What the hell is this all about?" she asked, as Chris deliberately stepped around the car toward her. She took an involuntary step back before forcing herself to stand her ground.

"Did you really break up with my brother last night?" he asked quietly as he took another step closer. This time she didn't step back. That made him smile, but his smile seemed to piss her off.

"What is it to you if I did or not?" she asked silkily. Surprising both him and herself, she took a step closer to him and reached out, running the pad of her thumb over the dark bruise under his nearly black eye. "You think I did it because I suddenly want to be with you?"

He reached up and grasped her wrist in his hand, holding it tightly. "I sure hope you didn't do that. You'll be very disappointed to know that I don't want you," he said harshly. He turned his eyes away for a moment, hoping to disguise the lie in them. He wanted her. Not to be with her, but he wanted her in a primal sense.

Kelli looked to where his hand held her wrist then back to him, her brow raised. "You know, Chris, I always did like a challenge." Lowering her voice, and moving her lips to his ear she breathed, "That's why plotting Amanda's demise was such a rush for me."

It would be so easy to turn his head. He could capture her lips with his own, and it would be as explosive as it was the day before, he could feel it. As it was, she was so close, and the words, though not sexy in the least, breathed into his ear had him wanting her more than he had a moment ago. Just as he was turning his head to kiss her, she jerked back, pulling her wrist out of his grasp in the process.

"The question is, can we work together? While your black moods do amuse me, they will eventually give us both away, you do realize that?" Kelli said quietly.

Chris knew she was right. He'd never had any problems controlling himself, or his moods before with a human or a vampire. He had no idea what made this woman so different, and it pissed him off. "You'll be the death of me, I swear it," he muttered.

She threw her head back and laughed, and Chris was surprised at the sound. He hadn't ever heard her laugh, and he wondered how often she did it. It was like music to his ears and that, too, pissed him off. He scowled. "I'm glad you find my impending doom amusing, Masterson. If there's anything else I can amuse you with, please, don't hesitate to let me know," he said sarcastically before stomping up the stairs to his office.

Kelli was left staring after him. "What the hell is your problem?" she said, knowing he'd hear her. She turned back to her car and started working on the cooling system. It bothered her that she had wanted him to kiss her. She even thought he was going to, but she pulled out of his reach at the last second.

Chris didn't bother answering her as he slammed around his office. He felt out of control and he didn't know what to do about it. Firing Kelli would probably be the best and easiest solution, but she was the best mechanic besides himself that he had. And if he was honest with himself, he would admit that he wanted to see her every day. He sighed and ran his hands through is hair. He was pacing his office like a caged animal. As he watched the other guys start filing back in, he knew what he had to do.

Walking out of his office and halfway down the stairs, he looked at Kelli. "Masterson," he said. When she looked up, he gave her an apologetic look. "You're fired."

Kelli didn't think much could surprise her. She'd seen a lot in her years wandering the earth. But the wrench in her hand clattered to the floor as she looked up at Chris with shock. She stood still as he continued down the stairs. Finally drawing a breath, not realizing she had held it, or cared, she bent down and picked up the wrench. She tossed it in her tool box, then wiped her hands on a shop rag. Carefully stripping out of the coveralls, exposing her jeans underneath, she set them on the engine of the car. Very slowly, she closed up her tool box and latched it. Making sure she had everything, she walked around the car, head held high. She ignored the stares of the others, not even gracing Chris with a look.

As she walked by him, he couldn't help himself. He reached out and grasped her around her upper arm. She snarled and turned to yell at him to let her go. Instead, she sucked in a breath at the look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kelli. I have to do this for the good of us both," he said, so quietly only she could hear him. His lips twisted into a mockery of a smile. "I'm a bastard anyway, one that you can't stand. So what's one more black mark against me?"

Her hand clenched reflexively on the handle of the tool box she carried in her free hand. Oh how she wanted to smack him, but that might expose them both as something less than the humans they were desperately trying to portray. "Let. Me. Go," she said instead. Her voice was deadly.

Chris closed his eyes for a brief moment and inhaled her scent. Then he let her go roughly.

Rubbing her arm, more for show than anything, Kelli shot him a look that would have made another man cower in fear. Then, lifting her chin, she walked out of the garage.

Chris watched her go, wondering if he'd made the right decision. He sent a glare to the rest of his crew and turned back to his car. They were short handed again, so it was time to start busting ass to get it all done.

-

As Kelli threw the tool box in the trunk of her car, she fought down the rage. How dare he fire her? And for what? Because he couldn't handle himself when she was around? Maybe he should have fired himself. She was doing just fine! It wasn't her fault he was an idiot who couldn't keep his hands to himself.

Sliding behind the wheel, she stared at the back entrance to the garage. If it wouldn't destroy her car, she would consider driving it into the back wall, hoping to bring something down on top of him. Maybe she'd go out later and see if she could find him and run him over with her car.

That thought made her smile. Yeah, right, all that would do is break her car, and that was the whole reason she wasn't driving it into the wall of the garage right now, wasn't it? Putting it into gear she drove off, making sure to spit gravel at Chris's car. It was the very least he deserved.

What would she do now? At least working at the garage had given her a sense of purpose. She hadn't been feeling that empty feeling as often. As she maneuvered the car through the streets of town, she wondered what she would tell Jade. How would she explain what happened, when she herself wasn't sure?

She was driving along the gate to the complex, coming down the street where she had seen Chris run off last night. When she noticed the dent in the iron, she knew what she had to do. Speeding by the entrance, she headed for the house she thought she'd never set foot in again. It was time to get this hashed out in a private setting where they didn't have to fear what would happen.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Kelli was sitting in the driveway behind the wheel of her car, when Chris pulled up. She gave him a lazy smile and wiggled her fingers at him, as if this was a purely social call that happened all the time. Chris groaned and looked about to pull his car around and drive away. Kelli tsk tsked and shook her head at him. To ensure he stayed, she got out of her car and was at his door in a second.

"Get out, be a gentleman, and invite me inside. We have a lot to discuss," she said as she pulled the door open.

Chris sat there for a moment, staring at her. Then letting out a sigh that only a weary soul who hasn't slept in decades could do, he unfolded his tall frame from the car and forced a smile. "Why don't you come inside, Kelli, and we'll discuss this like the rational adults we both are?"

Kelli rolled her eyes, and followed him to the door. She waited while he unlocked it, let her and himself in, and closed the door. She even followed him to the living room. As soon as he stepped into the room though, she turned on him. "Do you mind explaining to me what the hell that was this morning? I'm your best goddamn mechanic and you fired me because you're horny? You really _are_ an idiot!"

Chris raised a brow. "You have your wires crossed somewhere, because I didn't fire you because I was horny. I fired you because one of these times, something is going to slip and we'll both be exposed for what we are! And I, for one, don't care to bring the Volturi down on my head."

Kelli looked about to say something and stopped. He was right, the last thing she needed was the Volturi. Chelsea probably didn't know about her sister yet, but soon enough it would be common knowledge that someone had destroyed Amanda. She narrowed her eyes. "You think I can't handle myself around humans? I think _you_ can't handle yourself around me, and are punishing me for it!"

Chris shook his head and smirked. "You only wish that was the case, Kelli. Just because you are fucked in the head and dumped my brother, does not make it true that I want you, or that I fired you for any reason other than what I have told you!"

Kelli blinked at him. She opened her mouth, but words failed her. And with blinding speed, her hand came up and connected with his cheek. A loud crack echoed through the house. He rolled his eyes at her, and grabbed her wrist before she could take another swing. "Let go of me," she hissed.

"Is this ireally/i productive, Kelli? Obviously smacking me around isn't going to hurt me. Is it making you feel better?" Chris asked sarcastically.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is!" She started smacking him with her free hand, loud booms echoing through the house each time she connected. He tried ducking around the blows, but it was difficult while he held her wrist. He let go of her, and while he had full mobility now, she had both hands and was quick on the draw. Pummeling him with her fists, she was mumbling something unintelligible under her breath.

Finally, after letting her get her aggression out, he reached out and grabbed both of her wrists in his hand. "Kelli! Stop!"

She sagged against him, overwhelming grief consuming her, and she shook with the force of sobs that couldn't be cried. It was a horrible existence, she reflected, to not be able to cry, or to lose yourself in unconscious sleep. And then a hysterical giggle bubbled up a she realized what she was thinking. It wasn't a horrible existence that she was forced to drink the blood of humans to survive, no, it was horrible because she couldn't sleep or cry.

Chris, for his part, kept his mouth shut and just held her, letting her get whatever it was out that needed to be let out. He was murmuring quietly into her hair, kissing the top of her head. And when she finally glanced up at him, the look in her eyes so broken, he couldn't help himself. He leaned forward and kissed her, softly, gently. She didn't pull away, or push him away. And she didn't want soft and gentle.

Kelli wasn't thinking as she threaded her hands into his hair and roughly pulled him closer to her. The kiss was openmouthed and hot and mind numbing, which was just what she needed. And still she demanded more of him. Her hands tugged and pulled his hair before running down the smooth contours of his back. She pulled his t-shirt free of his jeans and gasped into his mouth at the electric jolt she got out of the skin on skin contact. She ran her hands over the silky smoothness of his back as her hands meandered their way back up his back under his shirt.

Chris groaned, his mouth meeting hers play for play as their tongues fought for dominance. His hands had moved down her sides, tracing her shape before sliding under the t-shirt she wore. When his flesh connected with hers, it was like a shock. His hands inched her shirt up, slowly revealing white skin. When her shirt was up over her breasts, he pulled back from the kiss, looking deep into her eyes. If they were going to stop, it had to be now.

Kelli looked back at him, her eyes clear. She knew what she was doing, and in this moment wanted it, and damned the consequences. In response to his unasked question she yanked his shirt over his head and then grinned wickedly before raising her arms to allow him to take hers off.

Chris lifted her shirt over her head and knelt in front of her, trailing kisses across her abdomen before making his way up. Reaching behind he unhooked her bra and tossed it aside carelessly before greedily taking one breast in his mouth.

Kelli's eyes rolled back in her head and she grabbed his hair, holding him there while he teased and tormented her. Her head fell back and a moment later she felt the sensation of weightlessness. She opened her eyes to find his mouth still at her breast but they were moving toward the sofa. A moment later, she felt the soft cushions against the bare skin of her back as he moved his mouth to tease the other breast. Her hands were never idle, running across every inch of exposed skin available. When her hand reached the waistband of his jeans she paused for a moment, then tugged up, pulling his mouth back to hers as she made short work of the button and zipper.

Chris pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed, his breathing irregular as she undid his jeans. She pushed them down his hips, along with the boxer shorts he was wearing, using a combination of her hands and her legs and feet. He very nearly came just at that, but he wouldn't disgrace himself by actually doing it. Opening his eyes, he gave her a naughty smile and trailed kisses from just under her ear down her neck to her breast. He teased her nipple with his tongue before going lower. When he reached her jeans, he undid them and slid them slowly down her endless legs, followed by her panties. He made note that both her bra and panties matched and were expensive.

Kelli watched him pull her jeans and panties off, and when he started kissing her on his way back up, she moaned. Wrapping one long leg around his waist she pulled him to her, and grabbed his head, yanking it down to her, their mouths meeting just as the rest of their bodies joined. Both stopped as the sensation overwhelmed them. They opened their eyes and stared at each other. Finally, eyes locked, they started to move.

Chris took her hands and placed them palm up next to her head, and he laced his fingers with hers, never breaking eye contact. Each thrust brought a more intense sensation then the last. Chris felt his control slipping as she wrapped her other leg around his waist and met him, taking him deeper.

Kelli could feel the climax coming and forced him to move harder, faster. Both were gasping with the effort until finally a release came that made her see stars. As her vision slowly came back, she felt Chris move once, twice, three more times before he too shuddered with the release. He collapsed on top of her, both of them breathing hard.

After his climax, Chris expected Kelli to shove him off and tell him that it would never happen again, like she had with the first kiss. So he was surprised when instead, she tentatively wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close to her. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened here, but he knew it was the best sex he had had, mortal or immortal. He wasn't sure he wanted to give it up.

Kelli held him close, her eyes closed, and pretended, for now, that this man was someone she loved, not someone she loathed. Inhaling his sweet scent, she wasn't sure what the morning would bring, but for this night, anyway, she would use him to chase away her demons. If he would have her.


	12. Chapter 12 Where do we go from here?

**Chapter Twelve – Where do we go from here?**

She lay facing the wall, her mind blank, Chris's arms around her as he softly breathed on her neck, stirring the tiny hairs there. As dawn's first rays broke through the cloud cover and exploded around the edge of the blinds, Kelli sighed. The rising sun heralded the end of the dream and brought them both crashing back to reality.

Without looking at him, she extricated herself from his arms and walked to the window, opening a slit in the blinds and looking out. The gash sent sunlight skittering across her diamond infused skin and when she turned back to look at him, she was taken with the beauty she'd been too stubborn to notice before. She dropped the blinds and sent the room back into semi-darkness.

Walking back toward the bed, she crawled onto it and leaned over him, resting her forehead against his. Closing her eyes and inhaling his scent as if she could imprint it into her mind, she kissed him once before she got out of bed again. This time, Chris could feel the change in her. She was no longer the soft, vulnerable woman he had spent the night with. Once again, the stone Kelli was in place.

Without a word, she gathered up her clothing and started pulling it on. She ran her hands through her hair, trying to tame it as best she could. Taking a deep breath, and pulling her mask back over her face, she turned to face him once more, still lying naked in his bed. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"You don't owe me any explanations, Kelli. God knows we're both adults here, and knew what we were doing. Daylight brings with it the harsh reality that we're not meant to be anything other than acquaintances at best, bitter enemies at worst," he said quietly, running a hand through his dark hair.

Kelli tilted her head, staring at him, as if she was trying to comprehend his words. Finally, she nodded, and left his room without a word. A couple moments later, he heard the front door slam and her car start before it tore down the driveway.

Chris ran a hand down his face and rolled out of bed. Despite what he had told her, they both knew this complicated things, a lot. Stumbling to the bathroom and into the shower he thought about what this would mean for them, especially when Josh came back. To say it has been a great night was an understatement, he didn't think he had ever had one to top it. They had fit together perfectly, and the chemistry, sexual anyway, was unparalleled to anything he had ever encountered before. Putting his hands flat on the wall behind the shower head he hung his head, letting the hot water beat over his bare skin.

When he had finished his shower, he got out and dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist. He took in the mess of the sheets tangled on his bed and sighed before going to his closet and pulling out a pair of black jeans and a gray t-shirt. He dressed quickly and looked at his phone sitting on the bedside table. He wanted to call her, tell her that she wasn't fired, to come in and work. But he couldn't do that. It wouldn't do any good for either of them. Putting on his black work boots he grabbed his keys and walked out, his thoughts a million miles from where they should be.

-

Kelli walked, or rather, slammed, into her apartment and went straight for her bedroom. Slamming the door shut, she pulled her clothes off, leaving a trail behind her to the bathroom where she sat on the floor of the shower, letting hot water beat over her. Once again she was struck by the fact that not being able to cry bothered her more than having to drink blood.

She didn't regret the night. Quite the opposite, she wished she could have another one. And another, and another. But who was she kidding? Chris hadn't been lying when he said she was fucked up in the head. And what guy, even one she couldn't stand, would want to spend their nights with a head case? Her sense of self had vanished with Amanda's death. No, she corrected herself, her sense of self had vanished long before that, Amanda had only provided an outlet to postpone her soul searching.

She put her forehead on her knees and and closed her eyes. Her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and hid her face as it hung wetly from her head. She didn't know how long she sat there, wasn't aware of the water temperature changing from hot to warm, and finally to cold. She only snapped out of her self pity when she felt the water suddenly stop beating on her and Jade's hands gently lifting her up. The other woman dried her off and slipped a plush robe over her and then led her to the sofa in the living room where she sat her down. Jade sat down next to her and was silent, rubbing a hand gently up and down her arm, letting Kelli take her time to decide what she would say, if anything.

She sat there, her mind on the past. She saw the days after being changed. She saw meeting up with her sister after that, and attacking her. The only difference between her and Jade had been that she'd somehow stopped before killing Jessica. She still didn't know how. Jessica had been her big sister in life, and although she was technically younger in the vampire life, she had taken to the role of big sister again. Kelli had worshiped the ground she walked on. When Jess had been stupid enough to get herself killed, Kelli had vowed revenge, and eventually had pulled it off.

"And here I sit," she said quietly, resuming her thoughts out loud for Jade to hear. "I sit here and realize that I am completely fucked up. I worshiped my sister, and her death left me with no sense of ime./i How do I find out who that is, Jade? I mean, on one hand, if she had lived, I'd still be in her shadow. But now... now I don't know what to do with myself. I'm empty, just waiting for someone to come along and fill me up again."

"You aren't empty, there is so much to you Kelli, can't you see that? You are a compassionate woman who hasn't let blood lust kill the kindness in you. You're a fantastic mechanic. I've seen your face light up when you're presented with an almost impossible task on a car. And you've always managed to pull it off. You aren't just Jessica's little sister. You never were," Jade said softly.

Kelli let out a deep breath. "I don't have a job anymore, Jade. Chris fired me yesterday. Apparently I wasn't enough of a 'fantastic mechanic' that you say I am."

Jade gasped. "He fired you? Why?"

Kelli shrugged. "Said something about if we continued on as we had been, it would blow our cover and bring the Volturi down on us. I think he's just an idiot." An idiot who definitely knew how to.... She had to stop that line of thinking right now.

Jade, oblivious to Kelli's inner thoughts on Chris's talents outside the office, shook her head. "How dare he? You were the best damn mechanic he had and if he doesn't know that, he iis/i an idiot!"

Kelli's head dropped to her knees that she had pulled up. "I'm an idiot too, Jade. After everything, _everything_ he's put me through. I still couldn't help myself. And I knew what I was doing. I almost wish I could say I didn't, but I did."

Jade frowned. "What are you talking about Kelli?"

"Don't make me say it," she mumbled.

"Kelli."

"I slept with him, Jade. Okay? And I stayed the entire night, and damn if it wasn't the best night I've probably ever had. And that makes it worse! How could that happen when I don't even _like_ the man? I'm not naïve enough to think that you have to love someone to have great sex, but shouldn't you at least like them? God, he's right. I am fucked up."

Jade sat back. She didn't know what to say. She wanted to smack Kelli upside the head and tell her that obviously things aren't always what they seem. Jade had sensed the bond between them the night she had met Chris and Josh. Kelli hadn't had that bond with Josh, though Jade had never told her that.

"Maybe..." Jade took a deep breath. "Maybe you and Chris are meant to be more. Maybe you have a bond that can't be broken, no matter how much fighting, and how much distance you try to put between it. No matter how many others you put between it." The words came out so fast, even with her vampire mind, Kelli had to concentrate to pick them all up.

"Jade, what aren't you telling me?"


	13. Chapter 13 Revelations

**Chapter Thirteen – Revelations**

Kelli sat back and waited for Jade to start talking.

Jade sighed. "I... sense... this bond between you two. At first I didn't even know what I was feeling. I've felt it since that first night that I saw the two of you together."

Kelli frowned. "You... sensed a bond between Chris and I?" she shook her head. "I don't understand. Have you ever felt anything like this before? How do you even know?"

Jade looked frustrated. "No, I've never felt anything like it before, why do you think I didn't say anything? I had no idea what was going on! I still don't understand! All I know, is that whatever is between you and Chris is powerful. And, you didn't share that same bond with Josh. Not even close."

Kelli looked as frustrated as Jade felt. "I'm sorry Jade. I know this isn't your fault. You don't have any idea what's going on, and I don't either and it is upsetting us both. It kind of sounds like what Chelsea does, except she can create and sever bonds as well as sense them."

Jade was shaking her head. "I don't think I could do that, and I've never sensed anything before you met Chris. I don't know how this works, or even what it is!"

Kelli sank back into the softness of the cushions and pondered what Jade had just told her. Maybe she was bound to Chris in a way that couldn't be explained, but that didn't change anything. She was still messed up. And Chris still hated her. And she was pretty sure she still hated him.

"Kelli?"

Kelli slowly turned her head to look at Jade. "Thanks, Jade, but it doesn't change anything. I'm still messed up, he still hates me, and I don't care much for him either. Maybe your feeling was just indigestion," she said with a forced laugh.

Jade rolled her eyes. "I'm going out," she said as she got up and grabbed her things. Obviously she was pissed Kelli wasn't taking her seriously. She was out the door a moment later.

Kelli lay her head back and looked up at the ceiling. It had to be only ten in the morning. What was she going to do with herself all day? Pushing herself off the sofa she slowly walked to her room and looked in the mirror. Her hair was flat because she hadn't done something with it after she was done showering. She ran her fingers through it and it fell limply back to her head. Grabbing her brush she started brushing it out, and then pulled it into a bun at the base of her neck. She slipped out of her robe and found a pair of soft brown corduroy pants and pulled them on. Slipping a fitted tan colored t-shirt on and a tailored cream colored blazer over that. A pair of brown heels completed her look and she actually smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

She turned and grabbed her purse and keys and left the house. It was time to do something. She got into her car and headed for the mall. Retail therapy always helped for awhile at least. She slid the car into a spot and stepped out. Shutting the door she walked into the mall.

Looking around at the stores that surrounded her, Kelli wondered if retail therapy was really going to help. She shrugged to herself and headed toward Banana Republic. She would buy something for Jade. A kind of "I'm sorry" gift. Browsing through the racks she found a couple blouses and a pair of slacks that Jade would love. She took them up to the counter and paid for them, thanking the clerk with a smile, amusement in her eyes as the woman unconsciously stepped back.

Swinging her bag, she walked around the mall a bit more, but nothing else caught her eye. Sighing, she continued out to her car and tossed the bag into the passenger seat. She sat behind the wheel and wondered what she should do. Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel while she thought, she finally decided to just head back home.

Returning to the apartment, Kelli found that Jade hadn't returned yet. Kelli took a look in the mirror and noticed how dark her eyes were. She glanced at the time, and decided that maybe a walk and hunting might do her some good. She shrugged out of her blazer and undid the bun in her hair. She shook it out, and hung her head upside down running her hands through it, trying to fluff it up. Throwing her head back up she looked in the mirror and nodded. It would do.

She grabbed some money out of her wallet, her keys and phone and headed out. She walked toward downtown, watching as the locals ended their day and either made their way home to their families or went out in search of someone to take home for the night. Humans have always fascinated her in that respect. Vampires, by nature, usually led such solitary lives, usually only surrounding themselves with one or two others at most. Kelli had heard of larger covens, of course, but most vampires she had met were mates or like Kelli and Jade, bonded together by circumstance or convenience.

Kelli walked past the bars and restaurants filling up with people on a Friday night. She paused at the window of a cozy diner, looking in. The scents of food mingled with the scent of blood, and her throat erupted into flames. Her eyes searched the sidewalk for prey, her senses on alert. Glancing around her, she judged where she would need to be to successfully hunt without notice. Zeroing in on a secluded place not far from where she stood, she headed that way. There was someone passing by the area, and if she timed it right....

-

Kelli stepped out of the alley, her thirst satiated for the moment. She put her hands in her pockets and started wandering down the street. Her thoughts turned once again to what Jade had told her earlier. A bond between her and Chris? But why? And how? It didn't make any sense to her.

Her thoughts were elsewhere, but she was aware enough to pick up his scent. Maybe she just thought it was him, because she had been so preoccupied with what Jade had told her. And if she was honest, she'd also been reliving last night. Looking around quickly, she turned in the direction her nose told her to go. He wasn't far away, across the street and on the next block. He was leaving a bar with a gorgeous brunette.

The wind switched and blew Kelli's hair in front of her face. Chris's head snapped up and he turned to look in her direction. Their gazes locked, and suddenly Kelli understood exactly what Jade had been trying to tell her. She offered a half smile to him, then moved her gaze for a moment to the woman with him then back to his eyes.

"Chris? What's wrong?" Kelli could hear the woman saying. Chris had stood still as stone since catching Kelli's scent.

"It's nothing, Aracely. Let's go have that dinner you promised me," he replied with an easy smile. He took one last look back at Kelli. _One hour_ he mouthed to her before turning with the woman and going in the opposite direction.

Kelli watched them walk off. He wanted her to wait for him? She didn't know if she should feel upset or happy. She probably should be pissed he expected her to wait while he went and did "dinner" but in light of Jade's revelations, she almost felt happy he wanted to see her. She wandered toward the bar, and noted that his car was still parked down the street, so he would probably be back. She went into the bar to watch the people and think. And wait.

-

She wasn't sure she had ever had an hour that was so filled with agony. Just the waiting, and the voices in her head, and the not knowing, it was enough to drive her crazy. From the moment she had sat down with her bottle of beer, the voices started in on her.

_Look at you, some independent woman you are. Waiting like a dog for some guy._

_He obviously wants to see you, or he wouldn't have asked you to wait._

_He's probably pulling your dick. He'll peek in to see if you waited, get a good laugh, and leave._

_You need to talk to him._

_What are you going to say? Your sister suddenly has developed this sense of bonds and says that we share one? That'll go over well._

_Maybe it's time to let go of the hostility and learn who the real Chris is. Then you can decide what to do._

_He won't want you. You're fucked up in the head!_

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and stood up quickly. Her stool went flying to the floor, and the bottle of beer slid away from her, and nearly fell off the table. She was close yelling at herself in the bar, telling the voices to shut up. She walked to the door and pushed it open, running straight into a solid chest wearing a gray t-shirt. She looked up, surprised, to find Chris gripping her to him so she didn't fall.

"Careful," he murmured. "You should watch where you're going, Kelli."

She stood there a minute, just reveling in his closeness, and how it felt to have him hold her before she pushed him roughly backwards. "Get out of my way!" she snapped, though she really wanted to cheer because her sane voice had won. It was like having the angel and the devil on her shoulders sometimes, the voices in her head.

Chris stepped back and let go of her, letting her out of the doorway. When she started walking away he reached out to grab her. "Where are you going?"

She stopped and looked down at where he held her hand then back up to his eyes. The intensity there took her breath away. "I... I need... to walk..." she stumbled over the words. What she really needed was to carve that devil voice out of her head. Preferably with something sharp that would cause a lot of pain.

Chris fell in step with her, not dropping her hand. "I'll walk with you. Obviously you waited for me, so lets... walk." He honestly wasn't sure why he asked her to stay, and was even more surprised than she had been when she walked into him at the bar. He hadn't expected her to wait.

They walked in companionable silence for a few blocks. Kelli stole glances at him out of the corner of her eye, and even let herself imagine this was real, it was her life, for a little while. Taking an evening walk with someone she loved. That thought made her gasp, and drew Chris's attention to her.

"What?" he asked, frowning.

"Nothing," she replied. _I don't love him! I am just learning to tolerate him!_ she said to the voice in her head.

He raised a brow, clearly not believing her, but let her drop it. "So, um," he said, and cleared his throat. "How was your day?"

They were walking through a park and she stopped dead in her tracks. "You're kidding me, right? You so did not just ask me that question. God, what was I thinking?! I should have turned around and walked home when you asked me to wait! I take it back Chris, you aren't the idiot, _I am."_

Chris just stared at her. "What are you talking about Kelli?" And then he stopped. "Kelli... I'm sorry..."

She just shook her head and yanked her hand out of his, stalking toward the entrance to the park again.

"Kelli, please wait. Kelli!" he jogged after her and grabbed her by the wrist, flinging her around to face him. She looked about ready to tell him off, her eyes narrowed, and taking a deep breath for a long string of curses, he was sure of it, when he placed his forefinger gently on her lips. "Shhh. Listen. I'm sorry. You have no idea how bad I wanted to tell you to come in to work today, that I didn't mean it." He dropped his hand to his side.

Kelli looked up at him, deep into his eyes and read the truth of his words there. She placed her hand gently on his cheek, before dropping it with a sigh. "You need me, Chris."

Truer words were never spoken.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Chris looked down at her, as she touched his cheek.

"You need me, Chris."

He closed his eyes, because it was true, he did need her. Not around the shop, but he just needed her in his life. He couldn't deny that he'd been miserable all day, and had been hoping that a miracle would happen and he'd run into her today. Opening his eyes gave her a slight smile. "Not as much as you need me, sweetheart." It was a cocky, asshole type thing to say, but he was sure that she expected nothing less from him.

Kelli raised a brow. She was struck speechless by what he had said. Was this some sort of messed up turning point for them? By admitting this, did this make them like... together? She had no idea. Briefly she wondered if he would think she was crazy if she told him about the voices in her head, among her other messed up qualities. All these thoughts were processed in about a second, and Kelli decided to go for broke. She broke into a smile, a genuine smile, and reached up, pulling his head down, and kissed him. It wasn't a gentle kiss, and it conveyed all the words she was unable to utter herself.

Chris was at first confused too. He didn't know what this meant anymore than she did, but her kiss cleared up any mystery. It looked like they would try to work out their differences and be together. When she finally broke the kiss, he grinned down at her and kissed the tip of her nose. "You really are a head case, you know that?" he said as they broke apart and continued their walk.

Kelli snorted. "You have no idea. I won't blame you if you run away right now."

Chris stopped her and turned her to face him again. He brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "No one is running away. At least not tonight," he said with a grin. "I can't promise anything about tomorrow though."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence, Chris. Glad to know you have faith in me," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, you are a self proclaimed nut. I could have just walked away earlier," he said, then sighed. "I tried."

Kelli nodded slowly. "I know. I did too," she said quietly. She sighed as well. "I think Jade was right."

Chris frowned. "Right about what?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," she said as she started to walk again.

"Kelli," he said as he pulled her to a stop. "You can't do this if this is going to work at all."

She whirled to face him. "I can't do what? Keep things to myself once in awhile? Do you need to know every thought I ever think Chris?" She walked back to where he stood and jabbed him in the chest with her finger to punctuate her words. "You want to know what I'm thinking Chris? You want to know that I'm way more of a head case than you think I am? That I hear voices in my head that tell me how fucked up I am? That I should just go to Volterra and tell Chelsea what I did and hope she will kill me quickly? Is that what you want to hear?"

This wasn't what Chris had expected her reaction to be. He took an involuntary step back from her fury. "Kelli... I only meant..."

"What you meant, Christopher, is that you had no _idea_ how screwed up I truly was! And you haven't even heard the full story yet! You ready to run yet?" she asked silkily.

"Is that what you want Kelli? You want to push me away, have me thinking you're crazy. Did it iever/i occur in your self centered little world that I might actually care, and instead of running away screaming, I'd want to help? Of course it didn't, because all you care about is yourself! You aren't happy unless you're miserable!"

"How dare you judge me, Chris! Like you live a perfectly charmed life! I suppose your life was perfect until the day I walked into it! God, what the hell was I even thinking? Jade is way off. There is no way you and I are supposed to be together. We'd kill each other–" she was abruptly cut off by Chris's mouth roughly settling on hers to shut her up.

Chris listened to her rant about his supposedly charmed life, but when she had said that they weren't supposed to be together, something inside him twisted deep. He needed to stop the words, because somewhere he knew they weren't close to being true. So he grabbed her, and kissed her, roughly, harshly.

Kelli struggled for about a second before giving herself over to him. The hands she had on his chest to push him away slid up and twined around his neck, pulling him closer. Her lips parted, and he took advantage, his tongue sweeping in to dance with hers.

He pulled away slightly, both of them breathing hard, and looked her directly in the eye. "I don't care what the hell you think. _I_ can't live without this. Without you," he said softly.

Kelli stared at him for a moment before pulling him back to her and kissing him again. That was all the answer he needed and backed her up toward a stand of trees off the path they had been walking, and arguing, on. He pushed her up against a tree, never breaking the kiss. Her hands slid down his back and tugged up his shirt, slipping her hands underneath.

Chris sighed into her mouth as her hands touched his bare skin. He kept one hand braced on the tree next to her head and the other slid down her side, tracing her curves on the way down. His fingers teased the waistband of her pants, running lightly around her hip before he grabbed a fistful of her t-shirt and yanked it out of the cords she wore, and running his hand along the smooth skin of her side.

Kelli's head fell against the trunk of the tree, her eyes closed. Chris took that opportunity to kiss her once more before kissing his way down her neck to the point of the v in her v-neck t-shirt. He looked up at her, and grinned when she opened her eyes and gave him an accusing look for stopping. He lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it aside, and her bra went next.

Before he could go back to what he'd been doing, Kelli had his shirt off. She lifted her eyes to his and gave him a naughty smile before she ran her fingertips lightly over his bare chest. She followed the trail with her mouth, placing little kisses all down his chest. Her fingers worked his belt and jeans as she made her way back to his mouth.

Chris pushed her back against the tree again, his bare chest pressing deliciously against her bare breasts. He kissed her senseless while his free hand worked her pants. He shoved them down, along with her panties, just as she did the same to him. Picking her up, he settled her back against the tree, her legs wrapped around him, hovering at her entrance.

Kelli didn't know what he was waiting for, so she leaned forward, crushing her mouth to his, nipping his lip, and sliding fully down his length. They both held their breath, and bit back moans as they joined. Keeping their mouths fused together, Chris began moving.

He tried to be slow, to prolong it, but the small gasps coming from Kelli fueled his desire and his pace quickened. Kelli pulled away from him, and buried her face in his shoulder, biting her lip, as she felt the telltale tightening, and then she was over the edge. She clung to him, panting, as he thrust twice more, and he too buried his face in her shoulder as he reached the edge and plummeted over as well.

They stood there for a few long minutes, collecting themselves, before Kelli leaned back and looked at him. "I... I don't think I could live without this either. Without you, Chris," she said quietly. "God knows I tried."

He gently set her down and handed her her clothes before putting his own back on. When they both were presentable again he looked at her. "No one ever said life was easy. And the best things are usually hard. But they are worth it."

"I wasn't kidding, you know," she said quietly, sitting down and leaning back against the tree. "I do hear voices in my head. Not all the time, but it's like having the fucking devil and angel on my shoulders sometimes. The devil voice tells me I'm worthless. That no one could possibly want me, that I'm a fuck up, and that I should just find a way to kill myself. The angel voice tells me that I am worth something. That I'm not just Jess's little sister. That my life wasn't defined by my vengeance. When it gets really bad, I start screaming at myself to shut up." She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. She wanted to see what he thought.

Chris looked at her. He didn't know what to say. "Kelli," he said finally. "I don't know the whole story. I hope that you'll be able to tell me it some day. But I do know that your life, and your self worth were not, and are not defined by your vengeance. You are so much more than that."

"You don't even know me, Chris," she said bitterly. "Amanda killed my sister. For no reason other than Jess was stupid, and in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jess could sense danger, you know. But she trusted Amanda. And because she trusted her, it cost her her life. I swore I would destroy Amanda. I planned it for decades. And I succeeded, Chris. And ever since then, I've been a mess. Oh sure, I tried to be normal. I worked for you, I dated your brother. But the only time I truly felt at peace, and whole, was working. With you." Kelli looked up at him, as realization dawned in her eyes.

"I waited for you to get off work yesterday, and I intended to... I don't even know. I had intended to make you see reason, hire me back. I _needed_ that job, it kept me sane! Well you know what happened last night," she smiled slightly. "The voices came back after I left you. And Jade told me this morning... she told me that we belong together. She can sense a bond between us, something so strong, that no matter what we do, or try to put in between it, it's not going to break. I never knew Jade had a talent," she said absently. "But it seems Jade didn't know either, because neither of us have spent a lot of time around others."

Chris was silent through it all. Finally he reached out and pulled her up. He brought her into the fold of his arms, and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Kelli. I'm sorry for everything you've had to deal with." He continued to hold her, and kiss her hair lightly. And after a few moments, Kelli let herself accept the comfort he offered and slid her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, and hoped that maybe life was turning around.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

The day dawned overcast, but to Kelli it was beautiful. She lay curled in the crook of Chris's arm, her head on his chest. His breath stirred the hair on the top of her head. They had lain like that for the last few hours, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Kelli lifted her head, resting her chin on her hand and looked up at him. She smiled. "You know," she said quietly as she sat up out of his grasp and walked toward his closet where she selected a red t-shirt and pulled it over her head. "You drive me crazy, but I'm kind of used to it now." She flashed him a lopsided grin.

Chris sat up on his elbows, watching her walk around his room in only his t-shirt that barely came down far enough to cover her ass. He laughed. "I think you need an attitude adjustment sometimes, but the sex is too damn good to give up."

She stood at the foot of his bed, hands on her hips and raised a brow. "Is that so? You think if I became some simpering, co-dependent woman the sex would suck?"

"Yes," he answered simply.

She laughed and jumped onto the bed, crawling over to straddle him, pushing him back down into the soft pillows. "So, what you're saying is that even though you think my attitude sucks, you like it?" She leaned down and ran her nose along his neck, placing a soft kiss right under his ear.

"Something like that," he said quietly, as his hands came up and cupped her ass before running up her back underneath his shirt. "You really should wear my clothes more often."

She was kissing lightly along his jaw, before working her way down his neck. She sat back and grinned a bit. "Really? I was under the impression you liked my clothes just fine."

"Oh I do. But... nothing compares to a woman wearing your shirt after a night of great sex," he said as he wiggled his brows suggestively.

Kelli gave him a lazy grin. "So, am I to infer that you have had lots of women do that?"

Chris suddenly got the deer in the headlights look. "No... no, of course not! It's just a guy's fantasy, that's all..." He trailed off as he watched her face, trying to decide if she was once again upset with something he'd said.

Kelli kept her face blank, letting him sweat it out, figuratively, for a few seconds, trying to decide if he'd upset her or not. Finally she leaned down, her breath tickling his ear. "I hope that you won't be inviting any other women to do this... because I might have to kill them. And you." She kissed him once more right below the ear and sat up, climbing off him. "Get up, lazy, we have things to do today!"

Chris frowned as he watched her find her panties and her cords. She pulled them on, but kept his t-shirt, which made him strangely happy. "What are we doing today?" he asked, confused.

She looked at him over her shoulder as she walked into the bathroom to try and do something with her hair. "Well, I'm getting tired of not having anything I need here in the mornings. Plus I need to talk to Jade. Of course, you don't have to come with me. And you can veto my idea to go get some clothes and a brush." she shrugged as she turned back to the mirror in front of her. She frowned at her reflection and ran her fingers through her hair trying to make it do something other than stick out.

Chris lay there for another moment before he reluctantly got out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt out of the closet and started to get dressed. "Kel?"

Kelli leaned back so she could see him from the bathroom. "Yeah?"

"You..." he paused and shook his head. "You think Jade will be okay with everything?" he asked instead of his original question.

Kelli frowned at him, picking up the change in his thoughts. "Yeah, Jade won't care. She's the one that told me I should stop fighting it, remember?"

"Yeah, sorry." He sighed and went to look at himself in the mirror. Standing behind her, he couldn't help but grin like the cat who ate the canary.

"What?" she asked him, holding his gaze in the mirror.

"We both look like we've spent the entire night in bed not sleeping is all."

She laughed. "That's exactly what happened, so I would think that it's a fairly accurate representation." Kelli gave up on her hair and turned to face him. "Do you want to tell me what you were really going to ask me?"

Chris looked at her and shook his head. "Mmmm no. Not really."

Kelli raised a brow and put her hands on her hips.

Chris put his hands up. "Hey! Don't get pissed off at me! You asked if I wanted to tell you, and I truthfully answered! Honestly, Kelli, I just don't want to upset you, and I know what I wanted to say will do just that."

"Chris, just say it."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Fine. I wanted to know if you were sure you wanted to stay here, because I have no idea when Josh is coming back."

Kelli leaned back against the sink. She hadn't thought of that. It made her feel horrible, because she hadn't once even considered that Chris and Josh were brothers. "Well," she said quietly, after thinking it over, "I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'll get some things and we'll see what happens. We'll have to tell him eventually."

Chris was surprised how well she had taken the question. He reached out and drew her to him, wrapping his arms around her. Her arms clasped around his waist and she lay her head on his shoulder. They stood like that for a few long moments before Kelli pulled back. Placing a kiss on his lips she reached for his hand and pulled him out of the bathroom and then out of the bedroom.

Chris drove them to her apartment. When they passed the gate Kelli looked over at it and smiled a bit. "You should fix the dent you made in their gate. Management has been going crazy trying to figure out what happened to it. It'll drive them even more crazy to see it's fixed."

He laughed. When she had punched in her access code and they were parked in the lot, he got out and walked over to where the fence was dented in. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he pushed, straightening the bars once more.

Kelli laughed and they walked up to her apartment. "Jade! I'm back!"

Jade appeared from the back of the apartment. She smiled. "Kelli. Thanks for the gift. And Chris! Nice to see you," she said as she came and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm not staying long, I think I'll be gone for a few days. I need to get some things. How are you? Everything okay?" Kelli asked as she walked into her room and grabbed a bag to throw things in. She shook her head at the broken bed on the floor. "I really need to order a new one," she muttered to herself.

"You're not staying long?" Jade raised a brow and grinned. "Everything is fine, don't you worry about me. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself, Kel."

"I never once doubted you were Jadey. It's just hard to turn off the protectiveness. Anyway, I'll be in touch, I have my phone. If you need anything, call me."

Jade smirked. "Kelli don't worry. Everything will be fine. I'm going to do my schoolwork, and I've been... practicing. People watching, seeing if I can sense anything..." she shrugged. "So far, nothing, but who knows?"

Kelli finished putting her things in the bag and hugged Jade. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. I'll see you soon."

Jade returned the hug and followed Kelli out to the living room where Chris waited. "Take good care of her Chris. I'll hunt you down if you don't."

Chris smiled. "I'd expect nothing less, Jade. Take care."

Kelli and Chris left the apartment. They drove, listening to a classic rock station, back to Chris and Josh's house in the rural part of the area. Pulling up the long drive, they stopped when they spotted the car in the driveway. Kelli leaned her head back against the headrest and Chris just sighed. He reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I think.... we've come to that bridge Kelli."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Kelli stared at Josh's car sitting in the driveway. Of course this would be happening. Life just couldn't give her a break, could it? Not even to give her a chance to figure out what they would say to him. She shifted her gaze to Chris. "He's probably going to freak out. Maybe try to kill you. Or me. Or both of us." She tried to make it sound casual, joking, but the underlying words were true, she was pretty sure all of the above could happen, and probably would.

"I'm sure he's heard us pull up the drive. He's probably waiting for me to come in so he can either tell me how great his vacation was, or to bitch about you," Chris said with a slight smile.

Squeezing his hand once, she let go and climbed out of the car. She leaned back down to look at him. "Don't be stupid like my sister was. You may trust him, he's your brother... but someone who is hurt that bad... don't underestimate him, okay?" Her eyes were dead serious.

He nodded and slipped out the drivers side. Taking a deep breath he walked purposely toward the house, Kelli trailing him slightly. He stepped inside, holding the door for Kelli, and then walked from the entry hall to the living room.

Kelli was walking behind him, and glanced down. She cursed silently, because she was still wearing Chris's shirt. This would not bode well, she knew that. She heard Josh greeting Chris, and before she could decide to run out the door and change quickly in the car, she heard Josh say with a confused tone, "Is... Kelli here?"

Busted. Silently she walked to the opening separating the entry hall from the living room. She poked her head into the living room, attempting to keep as much of her body hidden as possible. "Um, hi, Josh." She tried to smile.

Chris looked back at her, and frowned, wondering why she wasn't stepping into the room. She held his gaze for a long moment, trying to convey that it would be a very, very bad idea for her to step in the room at the moment.

Josh looked from Kelli to Chris, waiting for Chris to turn his attention back to him. "So... what's going on?"

"How was your vacation?" Chris asked in return.

Josh raised a brow. "It was... not all I'd hoped it would be. Kelli, you don't have to stand in the doorway eavesdropping. Come in. Why are you here anyway?" he asked.

Kelli took a deep breath and stepped into the living room. She hoped that Josh wouldn't notice her shirt. She forced another smile. "I am here to see Chris." That was not a lie at all. "He and I need to talk about how he fired me, and how he's going to hire me back." Again, not a lie. Indeed, she was going to have that conversation with him before the weekend was over.

Josh stared at her for a long moment. "He fired you?"

Kelli smirked and looked over at Chris. "Yeah. He couldn't handle me. But he's got to realize by now that I'm invaluable to him. I was his best mechanic."

Josh looked at Chris, as if to confirm her story. Chris shrugged. "It was a rash decision, what can I say? We are going to discuss it though, and I'm sure we can come to an agreement mutually beneficial to us both."

Josh leaned back against the cushions of the sofa, glancing between them. After a long moment, he stood up. "Well, don't let me interrupt your conversation. I'll just go unpack." He got up and walked past Chris. As he was passing Kelli he paused and looked her up and down. His nostrils flared as he met he gaze.

Kelli, knowing that the charade was up, stared him down. She waited for the accusation.

"Where did you get that shirt?" he asked her in a quiet voice. His eyes begged her to lie to him.

She stood up straighter, to her full height. Lifting her chin in a slightly defiant manner, she looked him in the eye and refused to lie. "The truth? Chris." She would not be intimidated and she wouldn't lie, no matter how much she hated what she was doing to him at that moment.

Josh stared at her. He tried to speak, but no words came out. When Kelli blinked, he no longer stood in front of her, but was tackling his brother through the glass coffee table. Shards of glass flew everywhere, showering both Josh and Chris as well as Kelli.

"Josh! Let me explain!" Chris was yelling at him, as he wrestled Josh off of him. But Josh wasn't in the mood to listen, and he pushed Chris away before charging once more at him. Chris was ready this time, and stepped out of the way, letting Josh crash into the sofa.

Josh's gaze went crimson at the edges as he growled and dove at Chris again. It was pure instinct that took over. Chris once more went down as Josh speared him in the midsection. They landed in a heap as Kelli screeched for them both to stop.

Chris shoved at Josh's shoulder, then kicked him up and off of him. Before Chris had a chance to react, Josh was on top of him again. It was getting difficult for Chris not to fight back. He didn't want to hurt Josh, but repeatedly being attacked wore on one's nerves. A growl erupted from his chest and he flung Josh off once more, this time tossing him into a side table that held empty liquor decanters. The house had come mostly furnished when they bought it and they hadn't really bothered to change things. When Josh came barreling at him once again, Chris caught him in a headlock and kneed him in the chest.

"Chris! Don't hurt him!" Kelli yelled.

Chris looked over at her, momentarily distracted. Josh took the advantage and swept Chris's legs out from underneath him. Chris went down, Josh on top, though Chris still had him in a headlock. Josh wrenched his head free and growled again, grabbing Chris's arms and holding them above his head so he couldn't grab him. Then he leaned down, teeth bared.

Kelli, seeing his intention, was on Josh's back in an instant. Josh's teeth were an inch from Chris's neck, but Kelli's lips were on Josh's neck. "If you even try," she said in a deadly voice, "I will have your head off before you get a chance to rip his off."

Her lips tickled his neck, she hadn't moved her mouth away, and he could feel the light scrape of her teeth on his neck. Josh held his position for one agonizing minute, debating if he'd be able to kill Chris before Kelli killed him, and decided it wasn't a chance he was willing to take. Very slowly he lifted his head, and let go of Chris's arms. Kelli clung to his back like an overgrown spider monkey. He pushed himself off of Chris and stood up. Only when Chris had gotten up and moved away did she remove her mouth from Josh's neck and slip to the ground herself.

Josh watched as she moved around him to take her position next to his brother. "So this is it, then. You tell me you're too messed up to be with anyone, and a week later, you're fucking my brother. I thought better of you than that, Kelli." He turned his eyes to Chris. "And you. You knew what happened, and yet you fall into bed with her anyway? Did you really even fire her?"

"Yes, I did. Not that it's really any of your business. I'm sorry this sucks for you, Josh. Trust me, it's not like we wanted it this way," Chris said quietly.

"If I had my way, Chris would have dropped off the face of the Earth, but some things are greater than us." Kelli chanced a look over at Chris, hoping he'd forgive her words. "I hated Chris, he's too much like me. I want so badly to still hate him. I could go back to my quiet, unfeeling, empty life."

Chris, for his part, smiled instead of taking offense to her words. He wanted so badly to reach out and touch her, but he refrained, knowing that would upset his brother even more. "She's stubborn and a bitch. She wants to be in charge and run everything. Life would be so much easier if we could just go our separate ways. But, I've never wanted the easy life, have I Josh?"

Josh was quiet. "I won't stay here. I can't watch this. You can't expect me to just accept it and move on. Are you insane?"

Kelli spoke up first. "What did you do when I left you the first time around? Did you try to track me down? Or did you move on?"

Josh looked like he wanted to lie. Instead he said, "I chose the middle road, Kelli. I didn't try and track you, but I didn't just replace you either."

Kelli looked skeptical. "If you truly cared for me, if you were meant to be with me, you would have chased me down, made me see reason. I've heard of enough stories of those of our kind when they meet their other half. Jade can sense it you know... the bond between soul mates." She chuckled darkly at Josh's look of astonishment. "Yeah, I know right? I had no clue either, but she told me that bond didn't exist between you and I. And who am I to argue? I have no idea what she senses or doesn't, but she wouldn't have told me to hook up with Chris if she didn't think there was merit to it. And it's not like I ran right into Chris's arms either. Hell, I think Chris thinks I'm nuts. I'm pretty sure that I'm nuts." She shrugged as she looked at Chris from the corner of her eye.

Josh didn't have anything to say. Instead, he took one last look around the destroyed living room and then turned on his heel, leaving them standing in the mess. A couple minutes later they heard him coming back down the stairs with his suitcases in hand. He gave them both a thunderous look before walking out the door, slamming it so hard behind him that it bounced off the jamb and came off it's hinges.

Kelli looked up at Chris, who reached for her and pulled her to his side, wrapping his arm around her waist. Together they stood there, looking out the gaping hole of the broken door, watching the dust trail left by Josh's car.


	17. Chapter 17 The truth about Chris

**Chapter Seventeen – The truth about Chris**

The next month was spent in a haze of repairs to the living room and entry hall of Chris's house, repairing cars at the garage and just being together. Kelli found that the more time she spent with Chris, even if she was pissed off at him, the less the voices in her head tended to harass her.

It was Friday afternoon, and they hadn't heard from or seen Josh since he had walked out the door a month prior. Chris had let the rest of the crew go home early at the garage, and the two of them were finishing up for the weekend. Kelli slammed the hood closed on the car she had been working on and walked over to where Chris was bent over the engine of a Toyota Camry. She reached up and ran her dirty, greasy hands down the back of his white t-shirt, leaving two streaks. "You know... I thought you'd have learned to either wear your coveralls all the way up, or stop wearing white by now," she said with a grin.

Chris whirled and looked at her standing there. He reached out and wiped a line of dirt down her nose. "Work would be so boring for you if you couldn't ruin my clothes most days of the week. He leaned in and kissed her, sighing softly into her mouth as it opened for him. Her arms wound around his neck and she pulled him closer. The kiss was rapidly becoming more. They maintained a cordial, slightly teasing relationship when the rest of the crew was there, so this was a rare treat.

Kelli groaned and pulled away when she heard her cellphone start ringing insistently in her pocket. She quickly wiped her hands on the legs of her coveralls before digging in her jeans pocket for the phone. Seeing the number come up, she glanced at Chris and stepped farther away. She opened it and placed it to her ear. "Hello?" she said cautiously.

"Kelli, what the hell have you gotten yourself into? Alice just called me and told me that you're going to be getting a visit from Chelsea. You didn't _tell_ anyone what you did, did you?" Jesse's voice rang across the distance separating them as if he were standing next to her.

Chris raised a brow, hearing what was said to her.

"I told someone I _trust,_ Jesse. You and your wife didn't say anything, did you?" she retorted, going on the offense.

"Of course not! Damnit, Kelli she knows, and she's coming. It looks like at least Felix will be with her, and possibly Demetri. He can track you."

"Thanks for the concern, Jesse, but you don't need to worry about me. Remember, I can track him as well. Take the offensive. You just go back to your happy little life with your golden eyed wife. I'll be fine." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Jesse picked it up, and his voice held an edge to it. "Just thought I'd give you a heads up. You know, for saving Tanya's life and all? But whatever. Good luck." The phone went dead.

Kelli looked at the phone for a long moment after he had hung up. She finally lifted her eyes to Chris's, to find him staring at her. "What?" she snapped.

Chris held his hands up in surrender. "I'm not the one you're pissed at Kel. You want to explain that?"

Sliding the phone back into her pocket and stripping off the coveralls, she tossed them on the hood of the car she'd been working on and shrugged. "Apparently word has leaked to Volterra that Chelsea's sister is dead and I was responsible. I sure as hell didn't say anything, and unless you have something tell me, I doubt you did either. Jesse and his wife wouldn't say anything... so I don't know." She shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say."

Chris wondered why she didn't mention Josh either to accuse or exonerate him. "And Josh? He knew, didn't he?"

Kelli bit her lip and shrugged again. "I don't know, Chris. Would he do that to me? Is he that pissed? He hasn't left the country, I can tell you that, so he didn't go directly to her."

Chris looked startled.

"Don't look at me like that. You think I wouldn't keep an eye on him, considering he knows my deep dark secret? He's been holed up in New York, and he hasn't left there in a few weeks," she explained.

Chris finally closed the hood on his car, he wasn't going to get any more done today. "Let's go wash up, and we can talk. If Chelsea is coming, we need a plan."

She followed him toward the bathrooms. "The plan is, I'll face her, Chris. I brought this on myself and I'll accept the consequences for it. I won't have anyone else paying for my revenge. Not you, not Jade." Her eyes lifted to his face. "I mean it."

He stared at her for a moment. "I think it's something you need to discuss with Jade, and me. Neither of us will let you face her alone."

Kelli smirked as she started washing her hands. "You won't l_et_ me? You realize you have no say? I can track them, and I can find them if I want to. And never have to tell you." Her eyes met his in the mirror, as he moved behind her. "I won't lose you. And I won't lose Jade."

They walked around, cleaning everything up, checking that everything was set for Monday, and making sure all the doors were locked. When everything was checked, they slipped out the back door and Chris locked it. He put his arm around Kelli's waist and guided her to his car. Once she was in the passenger seat, he slid into the drivers seat and put the car in gear. "We can get your car tomorrow," he said as he maneuvered the car around traffic, taking them toward his place.

Kelli leaned her head back against the headrest and reached over, gripping his hand. She didn't say anything.

Chris squeezed her hand and watched the road. When they arrived at his house, they parked and got out, heading in the house, still silent.

Kelli headed for the stairs, and once in his room, she went to the small assortment of clothes that hung in the closet that were hers. She picked out a pair of black lounge pants and wiggling out of her jeans, put them on instead. She pulled her t-shirt over her head and picked out a white t-shirt that had black streaks down the back. A shirt of Chris's that she had ruined a couple weeks ago. Finally comfortable, she crawled onto the bed and sat against the headboard, her knees drawn up to her chest, to watch Chris change out of his dirty shirt.

Chris, watching Kelli with concern, pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it in the pile in the corner. Kelli had taken to wearing the shirts she ruined when they were just hanging out. He stripped out of his jeans and pulled on a pair of pajama pants, then crawled onto the bed next to her. When she didn't move, he reached over and pulled her to his side. When she laid her head against his shoulder, he stroked her hair. "I promise, you don't have to fight this alone. I'm here for you."

Still, she was silent.

Chris sighed. "You know, maybe it's time to tell you my story. It might explain why I can't just let you walk into this without me."

Kelli finally looked up at him. Every time she had asked him about his past, especially his enigmatic statement to Josh on that afternoon about how he never liked to take the easy way out, Chris had brushed her off, telling her that he'd tell her, but now wasn't the time. "Are you sure it just didn't take you this long to think up a good story?"

Chris gave her a look, and she was quiet once again. She had hurt him, though he wouldn't tell her how much. Maybe once he told his story, she would understand. His voice subdued, he started his narrative. "I was born and raised in Georgia. Savannah, to be exact. We were fairly well off, and my father gave me anything I wanted. I was their eldest son, and I would inherit the family business and the money. I grew up thinking that the world owed me, because that's how I was treated. Instead of growing up to be the perfect southern gentleman, I became ornery and a drunk. A mean one at that. It was past the time of arranged marriages, and no woman wanted me, once they saw me when I was drinking. That is, until I met Sunshine. I don't know her real name, and I think she called herself that as a joke. She didn't care if I was drinking, and she didn't care if I tried to hit her when I was. Maybe she thought my drinking would make it easy for her. I honestly don't know, because after she attacked me, I don't remember much. There was a noise, and she chased whomever it was. For whatever reason, she never came back. I haven't seen her since.

"Fast forward through the newborn year, when I had no clue who or what I was, only that I killed many people. I ran into some other vampires about a year or so after Sunshine, and they explained things to me. I think they did it because they didn't want the Volturi coming down on their city. I don't know for certain. After that, I was more careful. I was nomadic, as so many of us are. I ran into Josh about forty years ago, and we've been together ever since. It was nice to have someone who understood, and went through the same trials. We decided that we should try to live somewhat normally, maybe we could stick around in places longer. Get jobs, make money. I still had my inheritance, but if I never worked again, it would eventually run out.

"We were living in Minnesota. I had been working at a garage there, and Josh was finishing up classes for his CPA. We had been doing very well at controlling ourselves around people, even though it burned our throats like nothing else. I'm not proud to say there were deaths, however the number was low, compared to what it could have been. She had brought her car in to the garage, and it was something I'd never experienced before. She was beautiful. Dark auburn hair, blue eyes. She was tiny, I felt like I would break her if I touched her. Sarah was her name. I fixed her car, and thought that would be the end.

"Of course, it wasn't. I rapidly became obsessed. I would arrange to bump into her whenever I could." His eyes went unfocused as if he was looking back at that time. "Sarah eventually accepted a date with me. As much as I wanted to, as time went on, I couldn't hide what I was from her. She was a smart woman, and knew something was off. When I explained everything, she understandably asked me to leave, and never contact her again. I was devastated. In my youth, I had scared away all the women who might have married me. And now I had scared away the one woman I would have married in a moment. She was my complete opposite. I was loud and surly, she was quiet and calm. But we were still perfect together.

"Imagine my surprise, when two weeks later she sought me out. She told me how she couldn't get me out of her mind, and maybe she had made a mistake. Would I forgive her? As if there was ever a question about that. We were together from then on. I asked her to marry me, but she wanted me to make her like me. I refused, because I didn't want to kill her on accident. She finally agreed to marry me. The wedding took place in a park, surrounded by wildflowers. Blues, pinks, purples, yellows. That night, our wedding night. She wanted me to consummate our marriage, but how could I? I would kill her! 'Then bite me, Chris,' she said in a seductive tone. 'You wouldn't kill me if I was like you.' I tried so hard to resist." His voice dropped to a whisper. "But what she offered... her blood, her body, herself, to me for the rest of existence? I couldn't pass it up. I kissed her, and then down her jaw to her throat where I could see the blood pulsing beneath the thin skin there. 'Are you sure, Sarah? I could end up killing you.' She was stubborn, and so I bit her. Her blood was the finest I'd ever tasted. I... couldn't stop. By the time I had regained my senses... She was dead..." His voice trailed off to silence as he was lost to the memories.

When Chris stopped talking, it broke the trance they had both been in. He hung his head, reliving those final moments. Kelli, who had held her breath through most of the tale, shifted so she was on her knees, facing him. She took his face in both hands and lifted it so she could look at him. "She took a calculated risk, Chris. She knew there was a chance you wouldn't be able to stop. It may not dull your guilt, or your pain, but it's the truth. I understand, I think, why you don't want me to face Chelsea alone. You don't want to go through the pain of losing someone you care about yet again. But I couldn't bear it if you were to die because of me," she said quietly.

Chris stared at her. "Kelli, you don't understand. I didn't even understand until today. I thought I loved Sarah. But I survived her death. Granted I'm not completely normal," he said with a smirk, "but I was able to eventually pick myself up and go about life. But if you were killed... I couldn't handle that. If you die, I do. It's as simple as that." He reached up and gently took her wrist, turning his head to place a kiss on the palm of her hand. "So whether I am there or not, if you die, I will. Let me try to help."

Kelli bit her lip. She wasn't sure what to say. She settled instead for showing him. She straddled him, and leaned forward, pressing an urgent, fierce kiss to his lips...


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

It was a rare sunny day the following morning, so Kelli and Chris were confined to his place out of town until the sun went down. Kelli spent the morning tinkering on Chris's car since hers was still sitting at the shop. She could hear Chris in the house. He had decided to "open up" the living room, so he was tearing out the wall separating it from the dining room. Why he was doing this, Kelli had no idea. She had actually asked him why, and he had just gave her a look, shook his head, and started swinging the sledgehammer at the wall, taking out great chunks of drywall.

"You could try talking about it, instead of just ripping things apart, Chris," she had said.

"Kelli, you have no idea what you're talking about, so why don't you just go away and let me do whatever I feel like doing?" he replied.

"Yeah, you're right, I _don't_ have any idea what I'm talking about, because you won't talk to me about it! For Christ's sake Chris, I told you that I hear _voices_ in my head, and you can't trust me with the fact that you're pissed off, perhaps feeling like an ass for what you did to your brother, never mind it wasn't your fault? That's great, Chris, just great. I'd leave, but you decided that I didn't need my car, and there's that little fact that it's a sunny fucking day! I'll be outside if you need me," she had said before stomping out of the house. She was only a little hurt that he didn't try to stop her.

She finished tightening a screw and stood up straight, brushing some hair out of her face. Dropping the hood back into place, she put her tools back and looked around for a rag. Had she been that pissed off at Chris that she forgot the rag? Sighing, she wiped her hands down the front of her shirt, leaving streaks. Her skin threw rainbows across the hood of the car as she picked up her box and went inside.

The pounding that had existed while she was outside was absent. She frowned and set the box down in the entry way, and went into the living room. The wall that had been between the two rooms was now laying in pieces on the floor. The framework was still up, but she could clearly see between the two rooms. However, what she didn't see was Chris.

Kelli frowned and headed toward the stairs, where she could hear him moving around. As she was walking up them she heard the shower turn on. She came into the room just as Chris was pulling a very dusty black shirt over his head, exposing a sexy expanse of muscled back. She leaned against the door frame and watched the view unfold before her.

"Are you going to stand there, staring, or are you going to join me?" he asked quietly as he turned to face her. The button on his jeans was undone, and his dark hair fell into his eyes.

"That depends on if you are going to talk to me or not. I'm still pissed off at you."

Chris sighed. "I'm sorry. You know that I've been really upset about the Josh thing, and now with Chelsea bearing down on you... I'm a little touchy. I'm not used to having someone who will just listen without judgment. You were right earlier. Forgive me?"

"Well if you put it that way..." she grinned and pushed herself upright. Sauntering into the room she tugged her shirt over her head, tossing it into the corner to mingle with the other dirty clothes that they would eventually have to wash. She stopped in front of him, running her hands over the smoothness of his chest.

A strangled sound came from his throat and he leaned down and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to him, and he felt her arms fold around his neck, her hands in his hair. His tongue parted her lips and dipped inside, tasting her sweetness as their tongues danced.

Kelli finally pulled away, placing a kiss on his chin and looked up at him. Her eyes searched his, wondering what he was thinking. "What?" she whispered as she gently pushed the hair out of his eyes.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "Nothing. We're cooped up here for awhile yet, unless we get a storm coming through. But tonight I'd like to take you out. If you want to go?" He opened his eyes to look at her, but his voice sounded so unsure.

She smiled. "Of course I'd like to go. Did you have an idea of what we would do?"

Chris shrugged then grinned. "Well okay I did have one idea. Do you want to go see a movie?"

"A movie? Well... okay. Yeah, sure," she said. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it wasn't something so mundane as a movie date. But the thought strangely filled her with happiness of doing something "normal."

Chris grinned down at her. "You weren't expecting that, were you?"

"No, not in a million years. Are we going to take that shower before the water is cold or what?" Kelli asked with a nod toward the bathroom where the water was still running.

He reluctantly let her go and nodded. Grabbing her hand he led her to the bathroom where they both finished undressing and stepped into the large shower. He let the water run over his head, while she reached for the soap and poured some on a body pouf.

Kelli started lathering his chest. She followed the soapy trail with her fingers, eliciting a surprised gasp from him. His head fell back as she continued her slow torture. His arms, legs, even his back, but always avoiding the one area he wanted her to touch the most. As she came back around in front of him, she tossed the pouf away and ran her hands over his slick skin, finding their way into his hair, tilting his head back toward her. Her mouth found his, and she pressed against him, feeling how much he wanted her as her tongue boldly stroked his own.

He leaned back against the wall, the water cascading down on them, washing away the soap as she rubbed herself against him. He reached down and shut the water off, breaking the kiss to look down at her. They were both breathing heavily. Chris picked her up, and pushing the curtain out of the way, he carried her from the steamy bathroom into his room, where he tossed her on the bed.

Kelli sailed through the air and landed on the bed, where the frame surprisingly held up. As Chris crawled onto the bed after her, she reached up and grabbed him by the neck bringing him back down on top of her. He kissed her deeply as his hands ran over her skin, tracing the curves of her body. Her hands ran from his ass up to his shoulders and back, exploring. It was strange she never got tired of him. Each time was like being together for the first time.

Chris was thinking nearly the same thing as he kissed her jaw, her neck, and farther down, before licking the peak of her nipple. He paid each breast proper attention before moving back up and teasing her mouth while positioning himself over her.

Finally, her exquisite torture was over as he both crushed his lips to hers and thrust into her. Her cry was muffled by his mouth. He moved slowly at first, but Kelli wasn't in the mood for slow and sweet. Being a vampire, and the strength that came with it did have advantages, and she used them. Lightning fast, she had them both flipped so she rode him. A wicked smile curved her lips as she set a pace that had them both gasping for release.

A moment later, Chris touched her, and she found that release. As her body shuddered over his, he found his own climax and they lay there, panting, Kelli on top of him. He clasped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him.

They lay there for a long time, not speaking, but it was a comfortable silence. Chris kept playing with her hair, and Kelli was running just the tips of her fingers over his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. "Chris, do you ever wish we were... normal?" she asked as the last rays of the day filtered through the blinds, throwing rainbows on the wall from their skin.

He had been staring at the ceiling, but turned his head to look at her. "Normal?" He thought about it, his forehead creased as he frowned. Finally he shook his head a bit. "No, I don't think so. When I was human, I was a waste. It took me a long time, but I finally got the hang of this, and I like to think I'm not such a bad guy now... well for someone who drinks the blood of humans to live anyway. I don't think anyone would have given me the chance to change if I were human. They wouldn't have... encouraged me to change."

Kelli nodded. "Drinking blood doesn't bother me, even if it should. I guess it's like humans eating meat... we need it to live. But it bothers me that we don't sleep. That we can't cry. It's unnatural. For all my attempts to fit in, I never will, because I'm damned to this eternal state of being awake, and drinking blood." She turned her eyes back to the wall she'd been staring at, and resumed her gentle teasing of his flesh.

"Maybe you're trying to fit in with the wrong people, Kel. We live in the human world, and we work in it, but outside of that... we can be ourselves when we are together, or with our family. Just because you don't sleep, or cry, doesn't make you a freak in our world... it makes you normal."

She looked back to him, a half smile on her lips. She brushed the tips of her fingers over his cheek. "Maybe I've just been focused on my revenge for so long that I lost sight of family, and those that I am like."

He smiled, and kissed her nose. "That's exactly what you need to do. Focus on us, not the humans. They are so frail anyway." He glanced at the window and then to her. "I believe I promised you a movie date, and if we don't get dressed and out the door soon, we'll miss it," he said as he gently pushed her up so they could both get up.

In two blinks they were dressed, and Kelli was brushing her hair while Chris ran down and started his car. She followed a moment later, after locking up the house. Though whoever tried to steal from this house was in for a huge surprise. She smirked to herself as she climbed in the car and Chris took off.

"What are we going to see, anyway?" Kelli asked as they drove into the waning sun.

Chris laughed and looked over at her. "Interview with the Vampire, of course!"

Kelli looked at him as if he were crazy. "Really? Why?"

"Oh come on Kel, be a sport. It should be hilarious to see the very untrue myths translated onto the screen. We can laugh about it. I thought a comedy would be good for both of us. You know, with impending doom raining down on us and all," he retorted.

She couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright, I see your point. Interview with the Vampire it is. But if we get kicked out for laughing at inappropriate places, don't say I didn't warn you!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said as he reached over and flipped on the radio. They drove the rest of the way into town in silence, listening to the radio.

Chris pulled up in front of the theater and got out, hurrying at just faster than human pace to Kelli's side. She had the door opened, but he offered her his hand, helping her from the car. Again, she gave him a strange look, as if this was out of character for both of them, but she let him play his role. They walked hand in hand into the theater where Chris purchased their tickets and then led her by the snack bar without so much as a second glance. They found the theater and slipped in, and quickly found seats near the back. A quick exit if they needed it.

They sat through the movie, and indeed it was hilarious to them. Vampires sleeping during the day, and in coffins! Vampires turning to ash in the sunlight? Where did the writers get this stuff, honestly? Whomever Christian Slater's character was based off of, never talked to a real vampire, that much was obvious.

As they left the movie theater, Chris's arm around Kelli's waist they were giggling. They got a couple strange looks from others that had been in the movie, but they paid no attention. They were halfway to the car when Kelli stopped and gasped.

"What is it?" Chris asked her.

"They are on the move. Shit. Chelsea is moving, and I think she's coming here," she replied. No matter what she had told anyone, she was afraid for this confrontation. She wasn't ready to die. But suddenly, her death was knocking on the back door.


End file.
